Green River’s Flaming Gorge Days Music Festival Canceled Due To Lack Of Interest

Canceled!

Flaming Gorge Days, an event that has been held in Green River for the past 65 years, is being canceled this year because their all-volunteer committee members are tired of planning and hosting it.

City of Green River has announced that the Flaming Gorge Days Music Festival has been canceled this year. (Photo courtesy of Wyoming Tribune Eagle).

Organizers of the historic event say they, “lacked the organization to put on an event of such a high scale.”

The event is a western Wyoming favorite, with noteworthy musical acts such as Styx, Eddie Money, pre-famous Kenny Chesney, and Ned LeDeoux making an appearance. In recent years, Flaming Gorge Days would host all rock acts on Friday followed by an all-country lineup on Saturday. The concerts were pivotal to the city because of the attendance, and more importantly, money, it drew to the Green River area. The musical performances were accompanied by a circus-like atmosphere with parades, vendors hawking all kinds of merchandise, and other forms of entertainment.

But, alas, not this year.  Green River did not have enough time to plan a quality event.  Steve Core, a spokesman for City of Green River, said that they were lacking the organization, and no one was aware of it until it was too late.

According to a press release, “In recent weeks it has been discovered that many of the plans for the event have not been completed to make a successful event.” It says as a result “it was determined that it would be best not to hold the event this year.”

On average, the event takes at least six months to plan, making it a very big time commitment for the volunteers who plan it. Core said in an interview, “Over the years, it became a volunteer deal, and the committee members just got tired of doing it.”

Hopefully, the cancellation of this year’s Flaming Gorge Days music festival will not be permanent.

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is managed by the USDA Forest Service, Ashley National Forest, and USDI Bureau of Reclamation. Over 600 camping and picnic units (including boat-in and floating camps), two visitor centers, over a hundred miles of trails and many other visitor facilities offer you a wide range of recreational opportunities and beautiful views.

City officials claim that they will do their best to “get going again” next year with new committee members, and that the City of Green River is determined to revive Flaming Gorge Days over the next few years.

In August, the City will hold a meeting for anyone who is interested in volunteering on the committee, and Core has hope that they will have a good turnout, and a reliable group of members to bring Flaming Gorge Days back (hopefully) next year.