“I’m just totally excited about it,” said Magnolia Music Festival chairman Mike Karm. “I think we’ll have the best festival in the area.”

Karm said the Magnolia Music Festival and the Magnolia Community Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization that manages the financial side of the festival, have been planning this weekend’s festival since last July.

“It’s our second year, so it’s going to be bigger,” Karm said. “We had the opportunity to take seed money we already had, plus the City of Magnolia is giving us hotel/motel tax money so we could hire super entertainment.”

Organizers were able to nab big name musicians The Bellamy Brothers, Zona Jones, Ray Price and the Cory Morrow Band.

The festival begins Friday, May 14 from 7 p.m. to midnight and goes on throughout Saturday, May 15 from 12 p.m. till 12 a.m.

Zona Jones plays at 9 p.m. on Friday, followed by The Bellamy Brothers at 11 p.m. Saturday night, Ray Price will start at 9 p.m. followed by Cory Morrow at 11 p.m.

“Ray Price is Saturday night; maybe for the older crowd and Cory Morrow’s for the younger crowd, so there’s something for everyone,” Karm said.

Other bands playing include Texas Road Cats, The Charlie Parker Band, The Charlie Lucas Band, Raizin Cain and Jeff Griffith.

The decision to move the festival from the Magnolia Ridge development, last year’s venue, to Ray’s Entertainment in Waller County was mainly weather-based, Karm said.

“This year it’s at Ray’s, which was a little controversial, but the reason we did is that after last year’s festival we had a clearing session and we decided if we hadn’t had that weather, we would have lost a lot of money,” Karm said. “We looked for a covered pavilion like Ray’s, but couldn’t find one in Magnolia. It’s in Waller County, only three miles out of Magnolia. All the money is going to the Magnolia charity foundation. The money’s not going anywhere but where’s it supposed to go in the first place. It’s just very convenient. That way, rain or shine, we can have a show.”

Officers from Waller County, Montgomery County and the Magnolia Police Department will be helping with parking on the days of the event.

Karm said organizers have made accommodations for parking for 3,500 people at Ray’s. There will also be parking available at Magnolia West High School and then shuttle service from the school to Ray’s.

As far as activities go, Karm said there will be several options for event goers.

“So far there are 50 vendors, so there are all kind of things to eat and look at,” he said.

He added that there will be a chili cook-off and a large inflatable carnival for kids.

“The festival site itself is on 11 ½ acres, so we have plenty of room for people to come out and bring their lawn chairs,” Karm said.

All proceeds from the event will go back into the Magnolia area.

“We’re hoping to make a lot of money so we can give all the money to the community,” he said.

So far, 400 tickets have been sold for the event. Karm estimated that last year’s inaugural festival brought in around 6,500 people and organizers are hoping for 10,000 this year.

Karm said festival attendees will not be able to bring in coolers or any type of alcohol, but beer will be available for purchase at the event.

Tickets are $15 for Friday night, $20 for Saturday night and $30 for a two-day pass. Children 10 and under are admitted free.

Guests can purchase tickets online at outhousetickets.com, at Ray’s Entertainment, Signs of Magnolia or Regions Bank in Magnolia. Advance tickets will be on sale until Friday, May 14.

For more information on the festival, visit www.magnoliamusicfest.org.

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