Inaugural “The Hoot” music festival draws hundreds to TD

THE DALLES — Visitors from across the country and beyond populated downtown The Dalles March 6-8 for the inaugural “The Hoot” community music festival, a free, three-day celebration of arts and local culture presented by the all-volunteer nonprofit The Dalles Overground (TDO).

Designed as a walkable, all-inclusive weekend spread across seven venues, including the iconic Granada Theatre and Historic Herbring House, The Hoot featured 20 musical acts spanning genres from country, punk, and Americana to rock, pop, Latin, folk, and dance.

TDO Vice President and festival co-director Rian Beach spoke before The Dalles City Council on March 9, expressing thanks and excitement after a momentous weekend — the town’s busiest since the high point of summer, he said.

Though entirely free, headlining performances at the Granada Theatre required registration to attend and sold out weeks in advance. 400 people piled into the venue on Friday night, and again the following evening. “We encouraged people to turn over their tickets if they couldn’t come,” Beach said. “It was fun putting the tickets up because they would immediately go, meaning people were watching it. There was excitement.”

One of the primary goals of TDO, revitalizing downtown, played directly into the formation of The Hoot, which was pitched as an exciting source of leisure and an attractive economic benefit for local businesses. “It was a 100% success on all accounts,” Beach said. “The positive words I’ve heard from out-of-town folks seeing The Dalles for the first time, or seeing The Dalles in a new light, have been incredible.”

Asked if The Hoot will become an annual event, Beach responded enthusiastically. “That’s the goal,” he said. “If we can keep raising money, we’ll do it forever.”

One way TDO aims to keep the buzz alive in the meantime is through social platforms, disseminating footage captured by media professionals during the event to bolster engagement and attract grant funding. The team also conducted video shoots with headlining artists at various spots around town, which will be uploaded to YouTube once polished.

“It’s great to have people with energy and passion for this town,” said Council Dan Richardson. “This was a particularly unique and exciting weekend.”