Paola Roots Festival: How a Backyard Potluck Became a Kansas Institution

Paola Roots Festival: How a Backyard Potluck Became a Kansas Institution

1990: It Started With a Grudge Against Boring Parties

No committee. No consultants. No five-year plan. A handful of Paola friends who missed the old-fashioned magic of a proper community potluck decided to throw one themselves. To guarantee a crowd, they added music — blues and roots, because that's what they loved. The logic was simple: if nobody else showed up, at least the band would be good.

The Square That Made It Work

They didn't have to build a stage from scratch — Paola Park Square did the work for them. Gifted to the city by founder Baptiste Peoria in the 1800s, the square's Victorian gazebo and open green became an instant amphitheater. Simple and sweet.

1996: Smoke Enters the Chat

Six years in, the festival made its power move: marrying the music to serious barbecue. The 1996 addition of a KCBS-sanctioned competition changed everything. Then-Governor Bill Graves made it official, naming it the East Central Kansas State BBQ Championship. Today it's a fixture on the KCBS master circuit — up to 70 elite teams have competed under a standing gubernatorial proclamation.

►   From a letter to the Miami County Republic — "Every year, my friends and I scatter across different states, different jobs, and different lives. But come the last weekend of August, we all make our way back to Paola Park Square. We set up our lawn chairs in the exact same spot, grab a plate of world-class BBQ, and let the music do the rest. The Roots Fest isn't just an event on our calendar; it’s the anchor that keeps our friend group together."

The Lineup Grew Up Without Selling Out

Nearly four decades in, the stages have hosted thousands of fans and everyone from Shemekia Copeland to Delbert McClinton to Mr. Sipp. But the festival's real flex? Danielle Nicole and Samantha Fish played this stage as unknown "locals" before the world caught up.

Now: 37 Years and Still Not Corporate

What began as friends chasing a potluck feeling has become a full-blown two-day production — arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, carnival rides for the kids. But strip away the growth and the DNA hasn't changed: it's still the same soul-stirring, community-first blues party those friends threw in 1990. They just needed a bigger yard. And everyone’s invited to the BBQ.

Join us for the 37th Annual Paola Roots Festival.