Winfield’s
Walnut Valley Festival Book Takes Awards
Winfield, Kansas ? Almost a
year has passed since the publication of Seth Bate’s Winfield’s Walnut
Valley Festival, and in that time the book has been recognized with two
prestigious honors. The book was published by The History Press, in conjunction
with the 50th Walnut Valley Festival in 2022.
Winfield’s Walnut Valley
Festival is on the 2023 Kansas Notable Books list, which recognizes the
best of books written by Kansans or about Kansans. Books on the list are
selected by Kansas State Librarian Ray Walling, assisted by a selection
committee from the Kansas Center of the Book. Bate and the other authors will
be recognized at the Kansas Book Festival in September.
The festival history is also the 2023 recipient of
the Dr. Edward N. Tihen Publication Award from the Kansas State Historical
Society, an award which recognizes and promotes material on the history of
Kansas by first-time authors. Bate will receive the award at the Society’s
annual meeting in November in Newton.
“For those of us who research Kansas history, Dr. Tihen is a hero.
The work he did indexing Wichita news and history made other projects,
including some of mine, possible. It means a lot to receive an award named for
him,” Bate said.
Bate, who moved to Winfield for college, attended the festival and
has been a devoted fan ever since. Portions of the book examine the festival’s
early years and what distinguishes it from other music festivals, drawing on a
history master’s thesis Bate completed in 2018. Winfield’s Walnut Valley
Festival also includes reflections from entertainers, staff and crew, as
well as campers and fans. It also has more than 100 images, most drawn from WVF
archives, an appendix providing significant festival milestones and a second
appendix listing of all the artists who have played at Winfield over its
50-year history.
The list of contributors, aside from Bate’s substantive portions
on the early history and feel of the festival, includes Dan Crary, Beppe
Gambetta, John McCutcheon, Leo Eilts, Linda Tilton, Orin Friesen, Sam Ontjes,
Wayne Steadham, Janine & Edward Foster, Karen Deal, Russell and Sherry
Brace, Tim Sidebottom, Larry Junker, Greg Smyer, Kendra Redford and Bart
Redford.
“When we started talking about turning my thesis into a
book, the easy thing would have been to just condense what I had written and
add some of the festival’s amazing collection of photos,” Bate said. “Bart and
his team wisely suggested something more collaborative, reflecting the Winfield
spirit. We collected contributions from a wide variety of artists, festival
staff, crew members and campers. I think the result benefits from the variety
of viewpoints, the different ways that people see the festival, based on their
own experiences.”
Seth Bate will be joined by
Friesen, Tilton, and Russell Brace to sign copies of the book at 6 p.m. August
24 at Watermark
Books & Cafe.
The book is available for
purchase at the Walnut Valley Festival office, 918 Main Street, Winfield, KS,
or on the festival website, wvfest.com (under Tix and Merchandise). It will
also be available for purchase at the 51st Walnut Valley Festival, September
13-17.
