By Judy Shuler
When musician Miki Girts came back home to Jamestown for a November visit six years ago, the concept of a festival was born. Thinking about the gorgeous Western New York summers, he wanted to find a way to come home to share them with family and friends while contributing something meaningful to the community at the same time.
In 2018, Whirlybird took flight and quickly became beloved by the community. After a two-year pause, he has relaunched Whirlybird Music & Arts Festival taking place on August 10-13 featuring over 40 bands and artists, four days of free shows, live painting, and local vendors.
He describes Whirlybird as “a collection of carefully-curated concerts that take place at a variety of venues across downtown Jamestown accented by live art and festival flair.”
Most of the concerts are free, and some are ticketed he says. A detailed schedule at whirlybirdfest.com/schedules lists performers, times, costs and locations. Passes for ticketed events may be purchased on the website or at the door.
The festival brings together and coordinates hundreds of people to make this unique event possible. From performers to volunteers to sponsoring businesses to venues to non-profit organizations, the whole community chips in, he says. He takes care of all the details on the front end–booking, funding, promoting, staffing, hospitality, scheduling, art direction, purchasing, and logistics–but attributes the operational success of Whirlybird to his core crew, hard-working volunteers, graphic design team, and partners like Karate Sleepover, Jamestown Cruise-In, and Jamestown Public Market.
He credits his diverse professional background for handling what most would see as a daunting task.
“I feel like it comes naturally for me. I’m a musician with over 20 years of experience in producing live events, running a business, and grassroots organizing. I come from a theater background so I was introduced to the complexity and importance of all the moving parts in a production early on. My work in non-profits and experience growing my own businesses has taught me how to genuinely network within and contribute to my community in a way that is mutually beneficial.”
This year visual art is taking on a more prominent role at what locals have affectionately come to know as “The Bird”. Whirlybird is featuring local and regional artists, including Gary Peters Jr. painting live on giant canvases at all free Winter Garden Plaza events as well as at some of the ticketed evening events. “I love the character that an artist painting with the band brings to a show,” he says.
Whirlybird 2022 is partnering with local sound production company, Mega Sound as well as The Beer Snob to ensure delivery of the highest quality sonic experience at all the venues. Many of the shows will be professionally recorded track by track and some of the sets will be available in high quality following the festival.
“I couldn’t be more excited to bring Whirlybird back to life. I enjoy building and fostering healthy relationships within my community,” he says.” I love bringing people together to celebrate life.”
For further information see whirlybirdfest.com. They are also on Facebook and Instagram.