The inaugural Jerome Music and Arts Festival with free admission will take place throughout the town on Saturday, June 10, and Sunday, June 11.

The Jerome Chamber of Commerce, along with numerous local sponsors, has put the festival together. According to chamber director Tom Pitts, it will offer an opportunity for Jerome residents to define themselves.

“We got a new board for the Chamber of Commerce and almost everybody involved has a background in the arts,” Pitts said. “We’ve been doing [a] monthly art walk … we did a big Art in the Park party last fall and it was so much fun we did it again in the spring. Then we all looked at each other and said, ‘How about music?’ So this is our first shot at putting together a full-tilt music festival.”

Over 40 musical acts, with more likely to be announced, will represent most genres of music and will perform daily across 10 indoor and outdoor stages from 11 a.m. to whenever they stop at night. Additionally, visual artists will be practicing their craft and manning a kid’s area to teach the art of cartooning, among other activities.

“I’m looking forward to seeing so much creative community in one place for the weekend. Jerome is the perfect place to gather and celebrate the arts,” bassist Dylan Jung said. “The Naughty Bits! are excited to perform outdoors in the Upper Park for festival goers. We plan to have a fun set of mashups for everyone to dance to and can’t wait to share the stage with so many other amazing acts.”

“This is a great chance to sample some of the great music that’s being made in northern Arizona and do it just literally by walking up and down the street,” Pitts said. “There are a lot of very talented [musicians] who will be performing, that not everybody has had a chance to see.”

Outdoor musical performances will take place in the Upper Park, on the Cornish Pasty patio, outside the House of Joy, at the Turquoise Spider and at S.T.O. Productionz. Indoor performances will be held at Spook Hall, the Spirit Room, Coronado Vineyards, the Jerome Artists Co-op and the old Jerome High School.

There will be an area set up in Spook Hall for artists to do live paintings, along with a gallery of local work. Artists and craft vendors will also be set up in the Upper Park, as well as at other studios throughout Jerome.

Dance lessons for all ages will be held in the Upper Park from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday only, and will be taught by the founder of the Arizona Lindy Hop Society, Steve Conrad.

“[There’s a] snake show for kids taking place in the Upper Park Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with only brief breaks,” Pitts said. “It is being provided by ‘Thanks for the Help.’ They provide moving services – but they also have been doing kids’ shows in the area for quite some time.”

Jerome-based artist Michael Gallagher will have a booth set up in Spook Hall from noon to 5 p.m. on both days to help kids learn about the craft of comic books. Additional children’s activities will be held in the Upper Park, including a reptile show. 

“I give a handout about the basics of cartooning,” Gallagher said. “If people ask me to draw something in particular, I try to incorporate a mini-lesson in terms of how simple it is to do cartoons, anyone can do it. We’ll cover the basic process any cartoonist uses in terms of roughing it out and refining it. I always take all the contractions out of people’s vocabulary like can’t, shouldn’t, because anyone can do cartooning.”

Open containers of alcohol are not permitted but alcohol will still be available for purchase at businesses.

“We’ve got impressive bars,” Pitts said. “At least one of which will be one of our venues for live entertainment and restaurants. But we’re going to put food trucks over by Spook Hall, the Bartlett and Upper Park for our customers.”

The Cheese Stop, Mad Honey Food Truck and the Green River Hot Dog Stand will be at the festival; more food trucks are expected to be added.

Commemorative maps will be provided to visitors to make on-foot navigation easier. In addition to the usual parking at metered and non-metered sites, a free town shuttle service will be running — tipping the driver is encouraged.

“Free parking will be provided in the large parking lot above the fire station above town and in the large parking lot at the old Jerome High School,” the event’s press release specified. “Below town free shuttle service will be provided to and from each lot.”

“Everyone is invited to the ‘Wrap Party’ in the ‘Recovery Room’ in the Old Jerome High School, beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday. Viola & the Brakemen will be providing the entertainment at 6 p.m., followed by Reverend Jon at 7 p.m,” Pitts said. 

Inaugural Jerome Music and Arts Festival Schedule

Upper Park

Saturday

• 11 a.m. Richard Salem
• 2 p.m. Inde Ella
• 5 p.m. The Naughty Bits!
• 7:30 p.m. Black Lemon

Sunday

• 11 a.m. Kaleidoscope Redrocks
• 2 p.m. Mike Clark & The Sugar Sounds
• 5 p.m. Well Dressed Wolves

Spook Hall

Saturday

• Noon. Sadie Norkin
• 2 p.m. Black Tapestry
• 4 p.m. Rare Kreature
• 5:30 p.m. Dj Nomadik
• 7 p.m. Alex Rovang
• 8:30 p.m. Desmond Osiris

Sunday

• Noon Silent Treatment
• 2 p.m. Fota

Spirit Room

Saturday

• 12:30 p.m. Invincible Grins
• 3:30 p.m. Life Is Beautiful
• 6:30 p.m. Black Forest Society

Sunday

• 12:30 p.m. Room Zero
• 3:30 p.m. What’s The Big Idea?

Turquoise Spider

Saturday

• Noon. Sister & The Sun
• 3 p.m. Him & Me

Sunday

• Noon. Marti Olsen & Luke Harvey
• 3 p.m. Matt Miller

Cornish Pasty Co.

Saturday

• 1 p.m. Doyle Figueroa
• 3 p.m. Shiva 15
• 6 p.m. Thunder & Lightnin’

Sunday

• 1 p.m. Shane Zen
• 3 p.m. Dani Boots

House of Joy

Saturday

• 11 a.m. Ezra Anderson
• 1 p.m. Tara Lynn Walrus
• 3 p.m. Christopher Nilo

Sunday

• 1 p.m. Tara Lynn Walrus
• 3 p.m. Christy Fisher

Coronado Vineyards

Saturday

• 1 p.m. Everett
• 3 p.m. Rachel Mari Kimber Clind

Sunday

• 1 p.m. Doyle Figueroa
• 3 p.m. Steve Estes

Jerome Artists Co-operative Gallery

Saturday

• 1 p.m. Jocelyn Obermeyer

Sunday

• 1 p.m. Everett

S.T.O. Productions

All weekend, times TBD

• Dog Of The Moon
• TV Messages
• DJ Lava
• Rivers Run Wild
• Open Mic

Bartlett Hotel

Craft vendor area

• Saturday, 11 a.m. to “late”
• Sunday, 11 a.m. 6 p.m.

Old High School

Sunday

• 6 p.m. Viola & The Brakemen
• Official Festival Wrap Party at the Operating Room

For a complete schedule of the performers, visit JeromeMusicandArts.com.