Greenfield Music Festival held June 2-4
Pictured at the 2023 Greenfield Music Festival auction are (l-r) Gary Binegar, Barb Barton and Pat Hays. (Photos by Tammy Wells.)
The inaugural Greenfield Music Festival was held June 2-4 in Greenfield.
This year's parade grand marshal was special guest John PayCheck, the son of former country music star Johnny PayCheck.
The festival traces its history to the Greene Countrie Towne Festival in 1967, when the main feature was an antique and classic car show. The group responsible for that car show was the Greenfield Antique Car Club, a group that is still active in 2023. In the early days, other organizations such as the Greenfield Jaycees, Lions Club and Rotary Club sponsored other activities, such as the Rotary Club’s putt-putt booth. Over time, the festival became.
In the 1970s, the festival grew quite large and became a three-day and even four-day event. The peak year for the Greene Countrie Towne Festival was 1985, which featured many additional events and attractions. In 1987, the Greenfield Rotary Club stepped up and put on a one-day festival utilizing all-volunteer entertainment and a very simple format.
After a few years, the festival was expanded to three days and was given the name "Wheels of Progress Festival." The Greenfield Rotary Club continued to sponsor the event, and it has grown over the years to about the same size as the original Greene Countrie Towne Festival. In 2011, the Greenfield Rotary Club changed the name of the festival back to the Greene Countrie Towne Festival, as the community festival was known in the 1970s and 1980s.
After 35 years of sponsoring the Greene Countrie Towne Festival, the Rotary Club of Greenfield decided to step down from the role of festival sponsor in October 2022.
In November 2022, a new non-profit organization was officially formed, incorporating in January 2023. After several meetings and discussions about the changes that needed to be made to ensure the success of the new organization taking over the festival, the Greene Countrie Towne Festival was officially changed to the Greenfield Music Festival.
For more about the festival, visit https://greenfieldmusicfestival.org/.
Pictured are the 2023 Johnny PayCheck print buyers with John PayCheck (in hat).
Local musician Sean Poole (left) presents a proclamation to John PayCheck.
John PayCheck serves as 2023 Greenfield Music Festival parade grand marshal.
