Editor,

On behalf of the board of directors of the Oak Harbor Music Festival, I would like to express our sincere thanks to all the members of our Whidbey Island community who once again made this year’s festival a fabulous event.

A special thank-you is due to the mayor, City Council, and hardworking professionals of the City of Oak Harbor, who put in so much time and passion in support of the festival.

Our police and fire departments kept us safe, our streets and public works crews made sure we were clean and organized, and it was all coordinated by Lisa Felix in the permitting process of this special event. Our city staff had our back from the initial planning stages through the complex timeline of festival weekend.

To our sponsors, large and small, and to our thousands of individual donors: Your generosity allows us, as we roll out the red carpet, to hire the bands, set up the stages and ensure the safety of our guests.

And to the many hundreds of our community’s volunteers, giving thousands of hours of your time because you love this festival so much: You are vital to the event’s success, and all any of you ask is a smile and a thank you in return. We are so very grateful to every single one of you.

Since the festival’s inception in 2013, 27 select graduating seniors from across Island County have been awarded a total of $35,000 in Oak Harbor Music Festival scholarships.

Next year, we begin a pilot program with Oak Harbor Public Schools to provide financial support and musical instruments to young musicians just getting started on their artistic journey.

These efforts would not be possible without the ongoing donations, sponsorships and volunteer time so freely given by citizens and businesses right here on Whidbey. The people of our island love this festival, and the festival continues to give that love right back.

The Oak Harbor Music Festival was founded on a vision to inspire our community with the power of music.

It takes a community-wide, all-volunteer effort to bring three days of true community spirit and free music to the streets of Oak Harbor every Labor Day weekend in our historic downtown.

With your support, Whidbey Island, we will keep on Rocking This Rock. Please join us on Labor Day weekend in 2020. With deepest gratitude.

Cynthia Mason, president

Oak Harbor Music Festival

Oak Harbor