Petunia Festival sets entertainment lineup

DIXON - The Petunia Festival’s entertainment and activities lineup is set with celebrations nearly a month away.

The annual festival returned last year on a smaller scale because of COVID-19, and this year’s event will run from June 30-July 4.

The entertainment is a mix of a national country music headliner, tribute bands, local talent and acts with ties to the region.

Mercury Nashville recording artist Travis Denning will take the stage at 9:30 p.m. July 1. Denning, a Georgia native, first made waves with the release of his Top 40 debut single “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs.” Denning has toured as direct support for Dustin Lynch and has previously opened shows for Cole Swindell, Alan Jackson, LANCO, Riley Green and his first headlining “Heartbeat Of A Small Town Tour.”

Denning celebrated his first No. 1 and GOLD-certified single in 2020 with “After A Few.” The country music star has more than 398 million streams worldwide.

Other performances will include Too Hype Crew with classic old school R&B and Hip Hop jams, Foo Fighters Tribute band Too Fighters from the Chicagoland area, Sublime tribute band Second Hand Smoke, Mirabilia indie/alternative band, Slick Trigger high energy country band from the Sauk Valley area, Dixon native and Nashville country musician Gina Venier, and Dexter O’Neal and the Funk Yard Band.

The festival will include live music, food, family activities, a parade, carnival and fireworks.

Other traditional festival activities returning this year include Cruise In Style Car Show, Brush & Bloom, family fun night, pancakes in the park, the Dixon Municipal Band concert, Nuts About Art, craft show, volleyball tournament, and the Reagan Run.

Tickets will be $10 a day at the gate for those 13 and older.

Here’s a roundup of acts performing June 30 to July 3.

Thursday

Nova 5:30 p.m. June 30

Tristan Bushman 6:30 p.m. June 30

Mirabilia 8:30 p.m. June 30

Dexter O’Neal & the Funk Yard 9:30 p.m. June 30

Friday

Route ThirtyEight 5:30 p.m. July 1

Gina Venier 6:30 p.m. July 1

Slick Trigger 8:30 p.m. July 1

Travis Denning 9:30 p.m. July 1

Saturday

Class Field Trip 5:30 p.m. July 2

Radio Silence 5:30 p.m. July 2

Second Hand Smoke 6:30 p.m. July 2

Too Fighters 9:30 p.m. July 2

Sunday

Lyle Grobe and the Rhythm Ramblers 3:30 p.m. July 3

Invisible Cartoons 6:30 p.m. July 3

Two Hype Crew 10 p.m. July 3