River City Roots Fest celebrates 20 years of all things Missoula

“The festival was really to showcase Missoula and to showcase our culture and how cool we are, and we got this river and all this good stuff,” Buchanan said. “And obviously it's worked out pretty well because this is our 20th.”

Free of charge to attendees and community-funded, the festival has become a staple in the lives of locals, tourists and new and returning college students.

The festival is not alone in celebrating a major milestone. In an entirely unplanned twist, this year's headliners, the Infamous Stringdusters and Honey Island Swamp Band, are also celebrating their 20-year anniversaries.

“I made it clear to everybody, it's our 20th anniversary,” Buchanan said. “We're going big or going home.”

Buchanan added that specifically, fans of the Stringdusters should take what is likely their last chance to see the band for free as they continue to grow and sell out shows in the bluegrass scene.

“The Dusters are really coming into their own right now,” Buchanan said. “Which is amazing to say, with as long as they've been around and as popular as they’ve been, but boy, they're selling out show after show after show, and their stock is on the rise.”

You don't have to be a die-hard fan of Americana music to celebrate the summer Missoula-style. Volunteers and organizers alike told the Missoulian that River City Roots is the ideal place to get reacquainted with the town and potentially fall in love with the Americana, bluegrass or boot-stomping New Orleans funk-based bands that are rounding out this year's lineup.

“We call it Missoula's signature celebration because it really is about what Missoula is as a community,” said Kristen Sackett, Missoula Downtown Partnership marketing and events director. “I think that's why it's stayed for 20 years.”

From a small one-day festival in September to a two-day party in the streets that attracts locals and dedicated out-of-staters, River City Roots has grown substantially over the years.

Having volunteered from the early days, Mike Smith, program director at 103.3 The Trail, a sponsor of the festival, noted that Missoula wouldn’t have River City Roots without Buchanan.

“This festival would not be in existence without her,” Smith said. “I think for many years in Missoula many of us dreamed of having a signature festival and when Ellen came to town she not only had the will but the experience to do it.”

The music

Every year kicks off with performances from the Zootown Arts Community Center Rock Band camps and Tangled Tones, which you can’t help but smile to see, Buchanan said.

“One kid takes his T-shirt off, and he's swirling it around, throws it out in the audience,” Buchanan said. “And it's like, yeah, okay, you're gonna play head-banging music, I can tell you’re going punk.”

Some of those kids have grown up to continue contributing to Missoula’s local music scene, Buchanan said, and offering them the chance to perform really does set the tone for a fun weekend.

Knowing how much Missoulians love a good opportunity to dance, Buchanan added that she tries to keep the lineup high energy and fun.

Though the festival has grown, it still features several homegrown favorites. This year’s artists local artists include Joan Zen, Reverend Slanky, Andy Dunnigan & Friends and Cowboy Andy & the Salamanders.

From out of state, Cajun fiddler Amanda Shaw is returning to Missoula, bringing high-energy music and her personal magnetism with her. Vancouver Island-based band The Unfaithful Servants and Colorado-based group Silas Herman and the Tone Unit bring this year's lineup full circle.

Both groups have ties to other big names in the genre. Silas is the son of Vince Herman, co-founder and frontman of Leftover Salmon, and has shared the stage with Sam Bush, Billy Strings, Del McCoury, and the Kitchen Dwellers.

Core member of the Unfaithful Servants, Jesse Cobb, was also a founding member of The Infamous Stringdusters and is a respected innovator on the mandolin. The two are not the only bands coming to town with some overlap in their history.

Buchanan added that she wouldn’t be shocked to see some of that overlap play out on stage.

The culture

It’s not just Missoula’s dancing queen energy that gets a chance to shine during the festival. Core values of art, community, local business, and staying active, family-friendly, and sustainable are also present throughout the weekend.

Food trucks will be available and other beloved features such as the 4-mile fun run; the art show and the family festival in Caras Park are returning as well.

Modeled after some of the sustainability efforts from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado, River City Roots has made big strides in making the event greener over the past decade or so.

Food vendors are required to use compostable materials. The festival uses some funds to buy carbon offsets for the band travel and use of the generator for the stage, for example.

Beer cups are made from spun aluminum, and attendees are encouraged to bring their cups back year after year.

“The whole goal and purpose of educating folks is to divert as much material from the landfill as possible,” Mike Lessard told the Missoulian.

Lessard is the programs director at Home ReSource, a local nonprofit and key partner in making the festival greener.

With all the components of the event, the festival relies on a percentage of vendor sales and sponsorship and volunteers to ensure that Missoula can continue to offer its so-called signature event.

“We’re super grateful for all those people who help make the magic happen every year,” Sackett said.