This year’s annual Trails West!® Festival features history and future in St. Joseph. 

The theme for this weekend’s event is, “Yesterday’s Heritage, Tomorrow’s Dreams.”

Robbie Morton is one of the co-chairs of the Trails West!® Festival Committee. Morton said along with over 30 bands performing over the weekend, some “living legends” will also be there. 

“Actors here in St. Joseph or just people that want to get out and do it,” Morton said. “It’s character actors that are actually former St. Joseph people. So we have a lady who’s dressing up as her great-grandmother who was a seamstress in the 1840s to the mayor of St. Joseph and several of the more well-to-do and she’s going to be roving the grounds. You can walk up to her and talk to her and she will tell you her grandmother’s life story.” 

Over the weekend, bands performing include Here Come the Mummies, Sawyer Brown and John Waite. Trails West!® Committee Co-Chair Shana Meyer said the lineup also includes some up-and-coming performers including Farewell Angelina and Steve Moakler.

“The neat thing about Trails West is having these up-and-comers,” Meyer said. “A few years ago we had Taylor Swift when nobody knew who she was, last year Kelsea Ballerini, and she’s been all over the radio. So, Steve Moakler and Farewell Angelina are two names just to kind of tuck away and remember. You never know where they might be in a few years and you can always say you saw them in St. Joseph first.” 

Meyer said groups and activities on the Family Stage include a performance by Southside Strings on Saturday. 

“These are eight to eighteen-year-olds who study orchestra and they have many different genres,” Meyer said. “They do movie soundtracks, they do fiddle tunes, they do spirituals pieces, they do classical.” 

The festival will also include over 70 vendors with fine arts and food. 

“I think it’s just something for everyone,” Meyer said. “We’ve got all the different genres of music and then you’ve got the fine arts with photographers, ceramics, pencil drawing, oils, just something for everyone. I always just enjoy walking through and seeing what’s there.” 

Gates open for Trails West!® at 5 p.m. on Friday in Civic Center Park at 1100 Frederick Avenue in St. Joseph. For more information, go to the Trails West!® website or Facebook page.