The weekend of Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, Rocheport, Missouri was filled with music, vendors, laughter and biscuits. In light of the Treeline Music Festival’s cancellation, in came a festival for hundreds to enjoy: Biscuits, Beats and Brews, hosted by Ozark Mountain Biscuit Co. A variety of musicians, vendors and food stands came together to ensure that the weekend which Treeline Music Festival had originally been scheduled for would still be worth remembering.
The festival formally kicked off on Sept. 29 with performances from country singer Noah Earle, singer Steve Ewing of The Urge and band MK Ultra. While Friday’s atmosphere was relatively calm, a sizable amount of kids and adults alike were in attendance.
From a kids silent disco at 12 p.m. to the Columbia-based band Post Sex Nachos at 7:30 p.m., 11 different events took the stage Sept. 30. Some of these events included grape crushing and performances from Meredith Shaw and Travis Feutz & The Stardust Cowboys. As the evening creeped in, people opened their lawn chairs to watch the night’s performances.
Saturday’s events gradually calmed as the sun went down. As The January Lanterns came on stage to perform, the melancholic nature of their music fit with the calm evening atmosphere. The temperature drop also offered a welcome coolness from the afternoon heat.
Vendors and artists at Biscuits, Beats and Brews all had a common goal in mind — making the festival distinct and memorable. One of these artists was Michelle Marcum, a logo designer and vendor who sold general merchandise for the event. Marcum’s vintage style contributed to her ideas of designing a unique logo for the festival. Marcum’s design for Biscuits, Beats and Brews showed an anthropomorphic biscuit in a 90s-esque artstyle holding a brew and whistling.
“I just love the vintage characters with the big, googly eyes, like anthropomorphized objects, so I was like, ‘I’m gonna see if I can work with that,’” Marcum said. “I knew I wanted him to be drinking, whistling and singing.”
Marcum says that her process of designing involves her own creativity as well as refining her ideas to make them the best they can be.
“I always try to use original ideas first, then refine it using inspiration from what other people have done just so I make sure I’m getting it nice and tight,” Marcum said.
Peggy Pherigo was one of five volunteers on Saturday. Pherigo worked to guide people on and off the buses and handed out wristbands to attendees. Pherigo, who had initially been a volunteer for Treeline, understood that the task of bringing different aspects of the festival together was not an easy one.
“I was actually volunteering for the Treeline Festival, and when that fell through, I wanted to fill my weekend with something,” Pherigo said. “Getting the vendors and the bands and everybody committed to doing it is a very difficult thing.”
With the help of the organizers at Ozark Mountain Biscuit Co. and volunteers giving their time to the festival, Biscuits Beats and Brews gave Rocheport and Columbia residents alike a special experience.
Edited by Alex Goldstein | agoldstein@themaneater.com
Copy Edited by Bella Zielinski and Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com
Edited by Sophie Rentschler | srentschler@themaneater.com