Artists, musicians and music fans will flock to Legend Valley in Thornville this weekend to “Werk Out” some issues and enjoy the area’s last major festival of the summer.
Roughly 3,000 people will gather at this year’s Werk Out Music & Arts Festival featuring headliners Griz, EOTO, Papadosio and The Werks, who started the festival four years ago with the goal of promoting Ohio music.
“All the acts that are playing are our friends and we try to have as many sit-ins as possible,” said Rob Chafin, drummer and vocalist for the band, said. “Over a majority of the pre-sale tickets have been out of state and international tickets, so we’re really excited to showcase the Ohio music scene.”
Many Athens bands will take the stage including Sassafraz, Manitoa and Uptowne Buddha. But, this year isn’t all about the music, as Chafin said they hope to offer a complete package to make Werk Out an arts festival.
Dave Weissman is the media coordinator for both festivals and said that they are about coming together.
“A lot of it is about the comradery,” Weissman said. “Summer is winding down, and this could be the last chance to tune into that culture where people come together and bond. You don’t find that in a bar.”
The festival also allows bands to get noticed by some of the biggest players in the state’s music scene. Aliver Hall is an Akron roots-rock jam band that will be coming back to Werk Out for the third year in a row.
Alex Hall, guitarist and vocalist for the band, said they started on the backstage, but this year the group will be featured midday Saturday on the main stage.
“(Werk Out) is one of the best festivals in Ohio,” Hall said. “We went from playing in the woods to playing on the main stage with bands that in many ways are our heroes … It’s humbling but it also feels right, and we hope this is just the beginning for us.”
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@Wilbur_Hoffman
