LANCASTER, Pa. — After a year-long hiatus, the Lancaster Roots and Blues Festival is returning to the Red Rose City this weekend.
“I know when this festival is running and doing well, people absolutely love it," said Rich Ruoff, the chief organizer for the festival.
Organizers at the Village Night Club spent the day on Thursday setting up the main stage for the weekend festival. The Village Night Club is one of ten venues hosting music acts during the festival.
Rich Ruoff said the festival is making its return after not being held in 2023, due to a lack of funding.
"We went through a rough period with COVID where we got creamed, as did a lot of promoters around the country," said Ruoff. "So I took the year off to catch up."
Ruoff was so determined to bring back the Roots and Blues Festival, he sold his own house just to fund the event.
“I’ve always felt like if you couldn’t invest in your own idea, then how could you ask other people to invest in it?" said Ruoff. "And the second thing is that I love music. I’ve been a music fan since I was a young guy.”
The event will feature around 70 bands from Lancaster and across the country. One of the artists performing is Lancaster-native and 2016 Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee, Quentin Jones.
“We really do have a music scene here in Lancaster, and I’m happy to still be a part of it," said Jones.
Jones has had a long career touring around the world and playing alongside artists like Robert Gordon, Bow Wow Wow, Billy Burnet, and Liberty Devitto. Now he's back to play in the same venues where he started his career.
“I knew Rich when we were both starting out," said Jones. "And thank God, because guys like Rich gave guys like me the opportunity to become professionals.”
Organizers and artists hope to bring in music fans from across the region to support the best music Lancaster has to offer.
“Everything is on track to be a great, fun time," said Ruoff.
The Roots and Blues Festival will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday and run through Sunday evening. More information about tickets and locations can be found on the Lancaster Roots and Blues website.