      The 38th annual Willow Tree Festival begins its two day run in Gordon today with simultaneous performances on 3 stages along with art and craft vendors, Food Row, and children’s activities.Â
Hours are 10:00-5:00 today and 10-4:00 tomorrow with a button covering admission both days. The cost for adults is $10 in advance and $12 at the gate with youth 5-to-18 years old just $2 in advance and $3 at the gate.
Advance sale buttons are available at 7 sites in Gordon, all area branches of Security First Bank, the Chadron and Alliance Chamber of Commerce offices, Chadron Vision Center, and Sandhill Oil in Hyannis
The Willow Tree grounds include 2 city parks and the Gordon Community Building with adjacent streets blocked off to make the grounds a safe area for all-day family fun while providing good separation for the 3 performance areas.
Each stage offers a specific kind of performance or performers with professionals on the Lions’ Gazebo Stage in Winship Park, gifted amateurs on the Community Stage in the Gordon Community Building, and the Youth Activity Area is in Wayland Park.
This year’s Gazebo Stage performers are guitarist B-J Jamison, composer David Boye with works that incorporate sounds from national parks , the jazz fusion band Crane Theory, and the 17th Avenue All-Stars a cappella group.
Each will perform twice both days, a schedule that also holds true for the performers on the Community Stage; pianist Rebekah Pobanz, harpist Barbara Lempke-Sims, stand-up comic Billie J, and storyteller David Seay.
Kids activities will take place in between performances in the Kids Area, including magician-hypnotist Keir Royale, musician Michael Murphy, and Native American singer-dancer-instrumentalist Garan Coons.
More information about the Willow Tree Festival and its performers can be found online at willowtreefestival.com.