The Yakima Music Festival -- Six good reasons to give it a try

Thirty bucks is a hefty chunk of change for a lineup of mostly local bands you've never heard of, but before you say no, give On magazine a chance to sell you on the inaugural Yakima Musical Festival set for Saturday in downtown Yakima.

Point No. 1: With 12 acts spread from noon to 10 p.m., the price per band or solo act is only $2.50. That means you can see a live music act for less than it costs to buy a gallon of gasoline. Plus, you ever try listening to gasoline? Doesn't work.

Point No. 2: If you buy a ticket in advance or grab a $5 off coupon from a downtown merchant, you can get in for $25. That lowers your per-act cost to just over $2.

Point No. 3: If you just want to check out the headliners, admission drops to $15 after 6 p.m., which still gives you enough time to catch five different performances.

Point No. 4: Those headliners are pretty good. Local bands Tieton Drive and Black Biscuit play at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively. And grunge-era Seattle band Quartermile Pumpkin, which has Yakima roots, has reformed and is taking the 9 p.m. slot.

Point No. 5: The festival is taking place downtown on North Front Street, which is surrounded by restaurants that have outdoor seating. You can sit on the patio at the Depot Restaurant and Lounge, nursing a cocktail and listening to live music. Now that's how to spend an afternoon.

Point No. 6: The festival, organized by longtime Yakima radio personality Kendall Weaver, is a fundraiser for the Miss Yakima County Scholarship Fund. The money you use to buy your ticket will ultimately help send a young woman to college.

The idea behind this year's festival, which is a 21-and-older event but will not feature alcohol sales except at neighboring establishments, is to get the ball rolling.

"If we do this and have a great success this year, then we'll have the ability to bring in a 'name' artist next year," Weaver says.

In the meantime, a lineup featuring talented local and regional acts is actually a pretty good bargain. For tickets or more information, including the full festival schedule, visit www.yakimamusicfestival.org.

-- Pat Muir