Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019 promises to be an exciting day for music lovers and biking enthusiasts in Springfield. The Rockin’ Roll Bike and Music Festival will begin at noon at The Riff, just off Kansas Expressway and Sunset Street in South Springfield. The event is open to the public.

Drury’s own Music Therapy department is heavily involved with the event. Music Therapy staff Deborah Hartwig and Julie Cassity met with The Mirror to give us the inside scoop on the day’s events.

Music Therapy at Drury

Drury’s Music Therapy program was started in 2002 and has grown to 65-70 students. The field is founded on clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions in therapeutic settings. The goal of music therapy is to serve persons with mental health and functional wellness issues in a variety of settings. Music therapy has been found to help those who struggle with PTSD or anxiety, as well as people who have autism or developmental disabilities.

Drury’s Music Therapy program (Photo via drury.edu)

“One of the benefits of this event is that it helps us raise money for seed programing of music therapy services in our community,” said Hartwig. “This helps the students because it broadens their experiences when they are studying music therapy.”

Some of the funding goes towards Cox Health’s music therapy studies, which Drury students enjoy as a practicum site. All proceeds either directly or indirectly benefit Music Therapy of the Ozarks.

Bike Ride

The event kicks off with a bike ride, beginning at The Riff. Registration is open online at www.bikeandmusicfest.org, or at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday at the event. Registration is $50 before the event and $55 day-of. Children under 12 are $15, and there are options for family rates.

(Photo via Forest Swisher)

There will be three route options for the ride: 10, 20, and 40 miles. All routes begin and end at The Riff.

“Bikers will wind through West Springfield up to the Frisco Highline Trail,” said Cassity. The 40-mile route will also include the Frisco Highline Trail, which connects Springfield to Bolivar. The trail was designated a National Recreation Trail in 2004 by the National Park Service and American Trails. It is owned by Ozark Greenways and partially maintained by the Springfield-Greene County Park Board.

Local breweries Tie & Timber Beer Co. and Mother’s Brewery will offer free beer tastings at each of the rest stops. The rest stops will also feature musical performances by Drury’s music therapy students and clients.

Dinner Hour

After the ride, Bambinos will cater a dinner free to participants at The Riff.

“People will also get to enjoy the music of Smokey Folk at the dinner,” said Hartwig. “It will be a trio from the band. They encompass every genre from the big bands to modern rock and have been performing in the Springfield community for quite some time.” The trio will be composed of guitarists Drew Beine and Payton Easley and pianist David Pyck. The Smokey Folk trio will only perform during the dinner hour, which begins at 4:00 p.m. at The Riff.

After Smokey Folk, clients of Drury’s Music Therapy program will also perform. Jake and Terry, who Hartwig describes as “a dynamic duo” will sing. “They’re so wonderful and very passionate about their singing.”

Dalton, who is mostly non-verbal, will perform the blues hit Bad To The Bone. He will combine his singing with playing on the harmonica. “It’s going to be so cool,” said Cassity.

“We try to tailor musical experiences to people’s abilities,” said Hartwig. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Concert at The Riff

Beginning at 7:00 p.m., The Riff will also host a concert that is open to anyone, even those who do not participate in the bike ride. Local band Nadia is the opening act, with headliners The Dirty Saints performing at 9:00 p.m.

(Photo via unsplash.com)

Nadia is an all-female band based in Springfield. According to their Facebook page, the band was formed in 2010 when founders Terry Cone and Katie Coffman combined the remnants of their previous band, The Debs, with the talents of Marion Painter, Michelle West, and Shannon Stine. Today, the band also boasts the presence of Diane Troup and Toni Orrell.

The Dirty Saints are also Springfield based, and cover a wide variety of classic rock from Journey to Queen. The rock band is composed of Jeff Ward, Scot Henry, Dirk Allmon, Kelly Bowman, Richard Kittleman and Rus Weatherby. They are a talented group that you don’t want to miss!

Tickets for the concert are available for $15 at the event.

Written by Forest Swisher.