:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/25GC5L22ZZFMLPJ5QVPU3BOS5A.jpg)
Following the success of last year’s impromptu house concert, LamoniLIVE returns for its second annual outdoor music festival on Saturday, August 30, from Noon to 9:00 p.m. on the grounds of Prescription Tillage Technologies, 1735 E Main Street. “We were there for the first concert,” said Lamoni resident Benna Easter. “We loved the performers. We loved the music. And the outside venue was great! We can’t wait until August 30th for year two.”
Spectators will experience a day-long program featuring live music, food trucks, a beer garden, inflatables, misting tents, PTO bake sale, Optimist popcorn, Pizza Shack delivery, and other activities. “Bring a lawn chair or a blanket to throw on the ground and enjoy a day-long concert with fellow music lovers – free!” said local organizer Tami Shaw.
The festival provides performance opportunities for local and regional artists. LamonLIVE also showcases a uniquely American artform – Blues – which is a deeply expressive American musical form rooted in African American history. It laid the foundation for many modern genres, including rock, jazz, and R&B.
The event kicks off at noon with performances by talented kids from Doc Heff’s Decatur County ‘Rock’N’Play’ camp and Action! Cinematography campers. Rock ‘N’ Play is a free weeklong music camp in Leon, IA, for K-12th graders, where participants write and perform original music and create short films.
The music begins at 1:00 p.m. with the Central Iowa Blues Society (CIBS), represented by BluesME Duo – Tina Haase-Findlay and Rob Lumbard. They both perform and offer blues education. Tina Haase-Findlay’s music blends traditional blues with soul and rock while Rob Lumbard’s style is rooted in traditional finger-picked Piedmont blues.
Omaha’s Jeni Grouws performs at 1:30 p.m., followed by another set from the BluesME Duo at 3:15 p.m. Grouws delivers powerful, belting performances steeped in deep‑rooted soul whether fronting a full band or playing solo with acoustic guitar.
From 3:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., St. Louis’ Meaza Joy brings her electrifying blues style to the audience. At just 16 years old, this St. Louis native channels a rare mix of youthful fire and soulful emotion.
Then it’s time for the main event. Amanda Fish, a Blues Music Award winner, Blues Rock and Americana artist from Kansas City, now based in Nashville takes the stage from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. With a signature brand of gutsy blues, her vocals are powerful, gritty, and expressive shifting between slow-burning ballads and full-throttle rockers. Iowa Blues Hall of Fame and Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Bob Pace will back up Fish.
As the sun sets, expect Amanda Fish and Friends to light up the stage from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. with a blues jam that’s one part performance, one part celebration. That’s how LamoniLIVE ends: not with a fade-out, but with a final, unapologetic blast of blues that says, “See you next year.”
Emceeing the event is Steve Vasquez, CIBS Board Member and Director of Education keeping things moving and keeping the crowd in tune. The festival’s professional sound comes courtesy of Scott Long, a Graceland University alum and a March 2025 Blues Hall of Fame inductee.
Located conveniently between Des Moines and Kansas City on I-35, Lamoni might not be the first place to expect a blues revival – but that’s kind of the point. It’s a reminder that music doesn’t need a skyscraper skyline to shine. Sometimes, all it takes is a stage, a sound system, and a town that shows up.