The city of Warrenton this month announced it has contracted three bands for the main stage show of the city’s annual Fall Festival. 

This year’s featured entertainment will be back-to-back performances by Poco, Pure Prairie League and Orleans, all bands with a history of well known songs.

Warrenton Director of Operations Brandie Walters announced the Fall Festival lineup at a city hall meeting Feb. 4. Walters is one of the chief organizers of the Fall Festival. 

“This is an ultimate 70s show full of classic rock hits,” Walters told The Record. “(The bands) are touring together this year, so we thought that getting all three of them would be something our Fall Festival spectators would enjoy.”

Walters said the schedule for the band’s performances hasn’t been determined. The Fall Festival this year is Sept. 26.

Alderman Mike Shilharvey expressed enthusiasm for the picks, and praised for Walters having secured multiple bands.

“She got three of them, and it’s probably less money than what we paid for the year that we had .38 Special. She did a really good job,” Shilharvey commented.

Having recently seen live performances from two of the bands, Shilharvey said he expects they will have strong appeal at the Fall Festival.

“They play good-time music. The kind of music that’s uplifting,” Shilharvey said. “All these groups have really tight harmonies and just really good musicianship.”

Also performing during the Fall Festival is Butch Wax and the Hollywoods, a yearly favorite. Shilharvey said he hopes adding more groups to the day will leave less of a lull in the performances.

Last year’s main stage performance from the Ozark Mountain Daredevils had possibly the biggest crowd to date at the Fall Festival, and Shilharvey said the bands coming in 2020 should have the same musical appeal.

The Fall Festival is Warrenton’s largest community event of the year, and one of the largest in the area. The featured bands at the festival are regularly groups with classic hit songs and a long history of touring.

Poco is a pioneering country rock band best known for the hit songs “Crazy Love,” “Heart of the Night” and “A Good Feelin’ to Know.”

Pure Prairie League is another country rock band with a long series of top albums. Their biggest songs are “Amie,” “Let Me Love You Tonight” and “Two Lane Highway.”

Orleans is a pop rock group most well known for “Still The One,” “Dance With Me” and “Love Takes Time.”

Shilharvey said the Warrenton Tourism Commission, which helps plan the Fall Festival, begins discussing bands for the next year almost as soon as the previous year’s festival is done. Many options are considered, which he said are then narrowed down by city staff to find a band (or bands) that match the budget and availability for Warrenton’s festival.