Last month’s Saint Patrick’s Day Street Festival downtown was a huge success, as it has been for the last decade. Performing at the festival this year was Under The Influence, Martin Byrne and Murty Ryan, Andy Frasco and the UN, Sunny Ledford, Del Castillo, and AA Bottom. And this year Jason Brown and the boys in AA Bottom have 
presented Danny Ahern, John Dickinson, and Jimmy Cooper with a signed guitar and a photograph of the guitar as a gift of appreciation for the dedication and hard work that they put into the festival, as well as the commitment they have to Wichita Falls’ downtown development. AA Bottom, dubbed the ‘Elder Statesmen of North Texas Rock’, has performed at every St. Patrick’s Day festival since its inception. The green custom built guitar and the photo of the guitar on fire will be displayed at the pub. The photo of the guitar is courtesy of Marla Dunn Johnson of Just Shoot Me Photography.
And on a similar note, last October, Stick’s Place under the new management of Kimberly and Eric Stevens, held their first Local Legends Rock Music Festival. All the musicians that performed that day had signed a souvenir guitar that was raffled off. Garland Hadley was the lucky winner, and last month had graciously presented the guitar back to Stick’s Place for display in the dive bar section of the venue.
Wichita Falls has a vibrant music scene, and acts like this are a testament to the support, dedication, and hard work that the musicians and live music venues share with each other to keep our musical community alive and growing.
~Tim Maloney
