STAUNTON, Va. (WHSV) – The biannual Staunton Jams musical festival has returned to the Queen City for the weekend, running Oct. 17-19.
Lead organizer for Staunton Jams, Molly Rose Murphy, said this street festival started in 2004 by the owner of the Baja Bean. Murphy said that festival went on for years and took a pause in 2018 before the Judy Chops brought it back in 2022.
Murphy said this festival comes to Staunton twice a year, in the spring and the fall. There will be a stage on Beverley Street, featuring music from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
There will also be performances at eight sponsoring satellite locations, Murphy said. Performances kick off Friday night at some of the satellite locations and performances on the main stage will start Saturday morning.
Murphy said she is an organizer for the event as well as a musician performing in the festival. She added that as a music teacher and musician, she feels her mission is to make music makers and foster the growth of Staunton’s music scene.
“We got volunteers that show up that want to help out, we got sponsoring businesses that want to be a part of it to host music at their space,” Murphy said.
All of the outdoor programming and most indoor programming is free, Murphy said, though some of the special events are ticketed. She added that the festival is trying to diversify and bring all kinds of music to all people.
“We invited bands and performers of all genres to participate,” Murphy said. “So, in addition to Americana, folk music, good ole’ rock ‘n’ roll, we got that blues venue this year, and some after hours hip hop and electronic music offerings.”
Murphy said the Shop and Dine Out program is happening during both of the festivals, and having the streets closed helps with setting things up.
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