CLINTON, Iowa – Country music hit all the right notes for this community last weekend.
The first Tailgate N’ Tallboys Music Festival – which brought in several big-name country music singers to the Clinton riverfront from June 8 to 10 – also brought in about 25,000 visitors and millions of dollars to the local economy, according to preliminary estimates from community and business leaders.
“The economic impact calculator shows $6 million to $8 million in economic impact from the three-day festival from festival expenditures, local spending, hotel stays and travel,” said Matt Parbs, vice president of community and economic development for Grow Clinton, a business advocacy group.
The festival lineup included music acts such as Jake Owen, Tim McGraw, Jelly Row, Mitchell Tenpenny and others.
Organizers said the country music fans who attended the festival appeared to enjoy the event.
“I’ve heard nothing but positive comments,” said Andy Sokolovich, president and CEO of Grow Clinton. “I went on Saturday night and it was amazing.”
At the Grow Clinton annual meeting on Tuesday, June 13, Mr. Sokolovich called the Tailgate N’ Tallboys Music Festival a great event and great success for Clinton that helped a lot of businesses, especially local restaurants and hotels.
“It put heads in beds. …. It was a tremendous success. We will continue to invest in (the festival),” he said.
Several months ago, Grow Clinton announced that it would invest $25,000 in the country music concert to become a Diamond Box sponsor for the event.
Several business owners in Clinton also called the music fest a big hit in the community.
For instance, Brooke Byam, a musician and owner of The V’ue, a live music venue in Clinton, called the music fest weekend a success.
“Our downtown businesses looked so beautiful and festive, with live music, artists, and dancers lining our sidewalks. The sidewalk sales were a hit, and many business owners sponsored live entertainers. … All in all, the vibe downtown was fun and vibrant and I feel this weekend was a great success,” Ms. Byam posted on her Facebook page.
The music festival was approved last year by the Clinton City Council when it inked a contract with festival promoter USA Concerts. The terms of the contract include:
- The festival budget is set at $3 million each year. Clinton will pay half that cost, and the fest promoter – USA Concerts – will pay the other half.
- The contract is a co-promotion partnership between the city and USA Concerts. Expenses and profits will be shared equally between the two entities.
- The initial contract is for three years, with the first two years of concerts guaranteed, and the third year will be optional to be agreed by both parties.
The country music festival will return to Clinton next year, but the dates have yet to be confirmed. However, the country music website Holler.country this week stated Clinton could host the music fest again on June 6-8, 2024.
No matter what the dates, next year could have an even bigger economic impact on Clinton, according to Grow Clinton officials.
Mr. Parbs said the country music fest put Clinton on the map as a destination place for many music fans. Those fans are going to tell their friends to come to Clinton next year for the music celebration.
“The Clinton name is out there with this event, and as a town, we see with smaller events like the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train people come back to visit as they see things to do … and then come back later in the year to visit the attraction. Well, (Tailgate N’ Tallboys) was 10 times as a big. … Everyone is excited for next year, and those who didn’t go for one reason or another, now have FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out. Next year, everyone in Clinton is probably going to buy a ticket,” he added.
