What’s Happening With FrogFest in 2024
It's hard to believe the longest-running summer festival in Central New York has been going on for 35 years.
FrogFest started on a slab of concrete with a few local bands and grew into an all-day festival with top Nashville talent, including Rascal Flatts in 2000. Most of the crowd left due to the weather that year and are probably kicking themselves today.
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How it Started
Frank Crawford, half of the original Amarillo Band was the driving force behind the starting of FrogFest. In 1988 he approached the general manager of the radio station that was known as Jumpin' Country 96 Frog back then to talk about putting on a show featuring local bands.
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It wasn't called FrogFest back then either. It was known as "The Frog Family Fun Fest." Since then local bands like Whiskey Creek, Lonesome Dove, who is now retired, Broken Rule, and Tompkins Drive have all performed on the big stage before our annual headliners.
The crowd has enjoyed music over the years from Rodney Atkins, Josh Turner, Justin Moore, Chris Janson, Randy Houser, Dylan Scott, Eli Young Band, and Russell Dickerson, just to name a few.
FrogFest 2024
This year that all changes. The landscape of country music concerts since COVID hit is making booking talent more challenging than ever.
Mother Nature isn't helping either. The last two years we've had to battle the elements with constant rain and cold temperatures.
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It hurts my heart to even say this but, FrogFest as you know it, will not take place in June 2024.
HOWEVER, we have been presented with some new and exciting opportunities with local community leaders and are working on a possible FrogFest 2.0 indoor event sometime in the fall.
Stay tuned!
Looking Back at More Than Three Decades of FrogFest Concerts
Gallery Credit: Credit - Polly McAdams
Every Free Concert Coming to 2024 NYS Fair
Gallery Credit: Credit - Polly McAdams