| >With ticket sales staying brisk and an extra day of music on the agenda, the second annual Red Ants Pants Music Festival in White Sulphur Springs on July 26-29 is shaping up to be another crowd-pleaser. Red Ants Pants creator Sarah Calhoun let festival-goers know what musicians were headed their way on March 31, at a Festival Lineup Party at the Red Ants Pants store in White Sulphur Springs. Anticipation of the show (and the hot springs down the street) brought me to the lineup party, and that anticipation continues to build. This year’s entertainers on the pasture at the Jackson Ranch include Emmy Lou Harris & The Red Dirt Boys, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Taj Mahal. Rodney Crowell will be back, and Billy Joe Shaver and Justin Townes Earle will also join in the fun. Corb Lund is coming down from Canada, and Hayes Carll, Abigail Washburn, the Sweetback Sisters, and Wylie and the Wild West are also pitching in, joined by regional acts the Wagons, Jeanne Jolly, Ben Bullington, and Growling Old Men. Little Jane and the Pistol Whips start the fun off with a street dance in White Sulphur Springs on Thursday, July 26 at 9 pm. Camping opens on the festival grounds at 3 pm, so there’s plenty of time to get set up before heading to town. Growling Old Men get the ball rolling Friday at 4 pm, and the fun rolls on until Sunday afternoon, when Mary Chapin Carpenter hits the stage to close out the show. Last year’s festival included contests gleaned from farming, ranching and logging life, and such activities are sure to be on this year’s agenda. Vendors will also be on hand offering everything from sirloin steak to sculpture, and of course, a variety of liquid refreshments to stave off the hot Montana summer. All proceeds from the festival itself go to the Red Ants Pants Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting women’s leadership, working family farms and ranches, and rural communities. For more information on the Red Ants Pants Music Festival, including ticket and schedule information, directions, and volunteer opportunities, go to redantspantsmusicfestival.com. |
