Trenton's Summer Sounds: A Guide to the Mid-America Music Festival

I love live music of all kinds. Nothing makes my day more than sitting in a venue of live performers with others who don’t mind letting out their inner music fan.

And thanks to the efforts of local residents who share that same passion, Trenton has become a summertime hub for easily the best live music event in north Missouri, with the Mid-America Music Festival giving music lovers a chance to hear great music at a beautiful outdoor venue.

MID-AMERICA MUSIC FESTIVAL – Friday and Saturday, August 2 and 3, 2024

If you are a country music fan, the Mid-America Music Festival should definitely be on your go-to list. Billed as “North Missouri’s Premier Country Music and Camping Festival,” the two-day event gives festival goers the ultimate experience with great music, good food and drinks and an outdoor venue that allows fans to be close to where the action is. In addition, the venue also helps raise money for area charitable organizations through the festival’s Black Silo Foundation “Music with a Mission” efforts.

The festival is held on the 70-acre grounds of Black Silo Winery, located at 4030 E. 10^th St. on the eastern edge of Trenton. Owners Duane Urich and Jen Hottes organized the first festival in 2018 and since that time has seen it grow in popularity in both attendance and by the performers who choose to make the festival a stop on their tour schedule. Past performers have included Travis Tritt, Lauren Alaina, Uncle Kracker, Great White, Slaughter, Black Stone Cherry, Stoney LaRue and Chris Janson.

This year’s lineup includes a number of familiar musical names, coupled with a few newcomers looking to showcase their talents. Featured performers in 2024 include Sawyer Brown, whose win on Star Search in 1984 propelled them to the top of the country rock music scene; and Gabby Barrett, a third-place winner on American Idol in 2017 who has been nominated for a number of national country music awards, including Female Artist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 2022. Sawyer Brown will be the featured performer on Friday night while Ms. Barrett will take the stage on Saturday as the night’s featured artist.

The remaining lineup on Friday includes Jayson Orr and Shop Band, Shane Profitt and the Eli Young Band. On Saturday, the festival opens with Marshall Holles, followed by Slow Leak, Sons of Sterling, Cody Canada and the Departed and Dillon Carmichael. The opening acts on both Friday and Saturday feature local musicians, a tradition the festival began in its first year and has continued to give those bands/individuals a chance to display their talents in a concert setting.

A unique opportunity festival-goers can have is the chance to meet their favorite performers as part of the “Meet and Greet” Experience. Attendees can enter the festival’s Meet and Greet Random Pick Facebook drawings, with opportunities being posted on the Mid-America Music Festival Facebook page. Interested persons should check Facebook for that opportunity.

Gates on Friday open at 3 pm, with music to start at 4:15. Saturday’s gates open at 1:30 pm, with the first performance at 1:45 pm. An “after party” is planned after the final performances on each night, with food trucks and the beer garden remaining open for those who stay around. A fireworks show is slated for Saturday night following the Gabby Barrett performance.

And speaking of food, there is no reason attendees at the concert should go hungry as there is a variety of cuisines to choose from the many food trucks located throughout the venue. Want a cold beverage? There is the festival beer garden, an east side beer trailer and a private beer bar for the VIP sponsors as well as a wine tent and the Jim Beam Grain. Soda and water are also available and many of the food trucks also have an assorted array of drinks.

Vendors will have a variety of items for sale and, if you are wanting to share the fun you are having at the festival with others, there are several selfie-stations available throughout the venue.  

For those attending both days of the festival and wanting to stay over, the festival has a camping area where you can pitch a tent, park an RV or fifth wheel or, if you choose, camp in your vehicle. While there are no hook-ups, generators are welcomed. 

Sponsors play a big part in the success of the festival, with local businesses and individuals providing financial assistance for various activities. According to the festival’s website, every donation, sponsorship, ticket purchased and merch item sold goes toward the foundation’s mission of improving the economic development of small rural communities in north Missouri. A 501(c)(3), the Black Silo Foundation donates the net proceeds directly to the designated charities. Over $62,000 has been distributed over the years to various organizations, with this year’s recipients being Camp Rainbow, the Green Hills Animal Shelter and Boy Scout troops in Trenton and Chillicothe.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased through the Mid-America Music Festival website – www.midamericamusic.com – or through Eventbrite – www.eventbrite.com. Parking and camping reservations can also be made on both sites.

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Written and provided by Diane Lowrey, July 2024.

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