CEDAR CITY - This “best of” the Groovefest American Music Festival will be held from Tuesday, June 19^th through Sunday, the 24^th in historic downtown Cedar City, Utah. Celebrating ten years, the organizers are happy to announce that the music at the annual event will be performed by musicians who have previously performed at the nationally recognized festival!

This will be a first for the fest; for at no time in the last decade have the same main-stage acts performed more than once. And every year the Groovefest planners add something new. This year: LitFest – The Energy of Words will be held at Braun Books and consist of literary readings and acoustical performances by local musicians. Last year’s Groovefest added the Run For the Music – Quarter Marathon, which will continue this year. See www.runforthemusic.com.

The 2012 Groovefest will be incorporating all of the elements that have made it a music festival that rivals many across the United States and yet still remains one of the only festivals of its kind to remain free to the public!

With nearly 50,000 people attending annually and more than $1 million in city revenue generated, Groovefest has become known as “one of the best little big festivals in the country,” a destination fest for travelers from near and far for good music, atmosphere and a beautiful mountain backdrop near Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.

Groovefest remains a “free admission” festival because of the grassroots efforts of the community that makes Cedar City unique. Not only is the committee - the “Groove Crew”, as they are better known - dedicated to making the festival happen each year, but also because of local advertising supporters  -  business who believe in and support what Groovefest is, has, and will become.

“I don't know what we would do without our financial supporters,” says Tim Cretsinger, founder and director of Groovefest, “well, I guess I do – we wouldn't have a festival!”

Cretsinger has always strived to find the best entertainment possible for this event – to bring musical acts to town that would not normally have found their way to southern Utah. The formula has worked over the past ten years; many of the Groovefest performers have returned time and time again, literally putting Cedar City on the musical map.

Cretsinger acknowledges that it has not been easy to put Groovefest together since 2002... “Somehow it always comes together and is such a blast! I'm so thankful for all the help that Lisa [Cretsinger] and I have received – this has truly been a great thing for Cedar City.”

The music festival has kept in place all the popular events such as the Campfire Concert in the Canyon, The Kick-off Show, the After Hours Concerts, the intimate daily Music Workshops, the Sunday Groovefest Gospel Hour, as well as all the main and side stage music,etc.

And for this, the anniversary celebration, the “Best of the Best” will be highlighted.

Cretsinger mentions that not all of the acts he contacted were available for the celebration; some have gone on to be unaffordable, others were already booked for this weekend - but the line-up is a great representation of what he feels is the best from as many years as possible.

2012 will be the third year that the Cedar City Arts Festival joins Groovefest, which only enhances the festival-going experience; and once again, there will be lots and lots of food booths.

As mentioned, the Groovefest American Music Festival operates solely on the generosity of local businesses and the donations and support individuals who plan and carry out each aspect of the event, from building stages to marketing to feeding the artists.

If would like to volunteer, advertise, donate or help out in any way, send an email to groovefest@groovacious.com, call 435-867-9800 and ask for Tim Cretsinger, or send a message through the Groovefest website at www.groovefestutah.com, where the schedule, in its entirety, the musicians who are playing, and the year they played initially, can be viewed.