Rocktoberfest returned Saturday evening to downtown Perryville, and it didn’t disappoint the large crowd that came out to enjoy a night of free musical entertainment or the man who came up with the idea for the event that showcases the talents of his music students and provides a concert venue for local bands.
Stan Denninger, owner of EXP Productions and The Guitar Shop in Perryville, could barely contain his excitement as he talked about the latest Rocktoberfest, a way to promote downtown Perryville that he came up with more than a decade ago.
“I thought it was a great day,” he said. “The weather was beautiful, the kids had their stuff ready to go, we had a nice crowd, and all the stages all night long. We had a crowd that was probably the best we’ve had for Rocktoberfest since COVID, if not ever, as far as the crowd goes. The sound was good, too. I mean, I really can't find a thing to complain about. It was really good.”
The evening began with a two-hour concert at the downtown stage featuring a lineup of Denninger’s music students, the Hopi Lane Players. He couldn’t hide his pride for the talented young people who performed on stage that night.
“Tyler, the little guy with the cowboy hat, has been coming to lessons for a year, tops. He came in and learned how to play and sing in one year. He got up there and did those two songs. He nailed it. And then the girl he sang with was Libby Adams. The part where she and her two sisters played together — they were something else, too. Over the summer, Libby was his teacher, so it was really cool that they did that duet together. It'll be pretty wild to see where they'll go.”
And how did the students feel after performing on stage?
“It’s a general rush,” Denninger said. “It’s a confidence builder. Everything went pretty well as planned. We didn’t have anything big fall apart. There were no curve balls or anything. They pretty much got up there and rocked out, which is exactly what they wanted to do. There’s a little thing over at the store that says, ‘Don’t practice it till you get it right. Practice it till you get it wrong.’”
If there was one thing Denninger made clear, it’s that Rocktoberfest will be returning to downtown Perryville next year.
“We've been doing this for 13 years or whatever,” he said. “Yeah, of course, we're going to do it next year. I think it was the best one yet, as far as the flow of the people, the timing on the stage and just everything, the way things went, and the kids being ready. Our teachers make the difference. I can’t take a lot of credit for the teaching. I teach the teachers, and the teachers teach the kids. Clearly, they must have done one heck of a job this year because it came out beautiful.
“I want to thank everybody who participated, whether you were part of the audience, one of the teachers, one of the students that performed or part of the bands that played. Then there are the food vendors, the people who work the bars, and everybody who came out for the cruise-in and to support live music.”
Denninger remembers some of the kids who got their start as performers on the Rocktoberfest stage — one of whom was country music artist Chris Janson.
“Chris is the reason I knew I could teach kids how to play,” he said. “He played his first gig on our Rocktoberfest stage with my son, J.D. And then there’s Ian Ferguson, who opened for Chris. He played his first gigs on this Rocktoberfest stage. Carly Green is a music teacher over at the middle school, and Danielle Preston Bishop teaches at St. Vincent. But you know, these kids go on to inspire other people and take it to the next level. Without that Rocktoberfest stage, that wouldn’t happen.”
Gold Tier sponsors for this year’s Rocktoberfest were EXP Productions, Real Rock 99.3, Primrose Community Preschool, Brass and Bone, First State Community Bank, Mercy, Richardet Floor Covering, EarthWorks, Classic Rock 93.1, Warehouse Entertainment District, The Guitar Shop, Buchheit, Chad’s Septic & Backhoe Service, The Bank of Missouri, TG Missouri and Main Street Signs. Silver Tier sponsors were Z&A Construction, Epic Landscaping Tree Service, Krauss Detailing, A1 Glass, HSB Advisors and Enterprise Bank & Trust.
