With a population fewer than 700 people, Masontown, W.Va., remains one of the state's smallest towns 51 weekends out of the year. However, over the weekend of July 8-11, the town will grow to nearly 20,000 as the 14th annual All Good Festival rolls into the area. Only a few miles east of Morgantown off I-68, the festival is set to bring a weekend of music to the heart of West Virginia.
Festival promoters rely heavily on fans and potential attendees to help select the entertainers featured. "Each year we send out a survey to our fans asking them for their input, we review their responses and look to make improvements based on their feedback," said promoter Tim Walther of Walther Productions. "We also get feedback from our 70 or so departments, evaluate the feedback and make positive adjustments wherever necessary."
Situated on 300 acres of rolling hillside known best as Marvin's Mountaintop, the All Good Festival will feature some of the nation's top touring musical acts. Bands such as Furthur (featuring legends Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead), Southern-tinged rock band Widespread Panic, bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band and the prog-heavy Umphrey's McGee round out the weekend's headlining acts.
Electronic acts such as The New Deal, Lotus, and Bassnectar will provide the dance-oriented flavors for the weekend. For those interested in more acoustically driven sounds, bands such as Cornmeal, Railroad Earth, and Old Crow Medicine Show will be on hand. Funk legends George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic as well as All Good Festival fan favorite Keller Williams are also scheduled to perform. More than 25 other bands finish out the weekend lineup.
Despite the 40 bands on this year's bill, attendees have the luxury of not missing a single moment of the weekend's musical entertainment, as the festival provides two main stages with no overlapping sets.
"Fans can see every minute of every band that they have paid to see for the most part, without even moving from one space," said Walther.
In an attempt to separate itself from other music festivals on the circuit, All Good has made every effort to upgrade the experience and accommodate attendees as much as possible.
"This year we have 21 new artists out of 40 on our roster, a better light show than ever, and we will have LED Screens for the first time. We are also upgrading our port-a-john services, and will have many surprises that fans will have to come to experience," said Walther.
Ultimately, the music remains the focus of the festival, yet the landscape provides plenty of other reasons to take the trip to Masontown.
"The location offers a natural ‘bowl' amphitheater that slopes perfectly for thousands to sit and watch the show, elevated on a hill, yet another flat section for thousands more to be on the same level as the stage," said publicist Dave Weismann. "Additionally, the venue offers hundreds of acres of mostly flat open land for camping and parking. Also, the overlook with a view above the Cheat River is just one of the few dozen amazing unique things about Marvin's Mountaintop."
For Walther Productions, the All Good Festival allows for the promoters to provide much more than a weekend of enjoyable music.
"We realize that for a great deal of these folks, that this is their summer vacation and we want to make it a weekend to remember for years to come. We do our best with our staff to set the stage for the incredible vibe that takes place each year at our event," boasted Walther.
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