HORNET TOWNSHIP -- Dewey Kilde claims he didn’t get the musical gene that has been prominent in the family for generations. But he has found a way to keep music alive at a four-acre spot in the country north of Blackduck.
The fifth Kilde BarN Fest, a three-day country music event, will take place Thursday through Saturday, July 8-10 on Lanet Road about 3.5 miles east of Highway 72. Eight bands plus headliner Dion Pride are scheduled to perform. Dion is the son of country star Charlie Pride, who died in December.
“Dion will be doing a tribute to his father,” Dewey said. “It’s going to be great.”
August and Bertha Kilde (Dewey’s grandparents) homesteaded 80 acres starting in 1920. Country music was a big part of the family. The Kilde Brothers Band, featuring Dewey’s father, Cloyd, and uncles Augie, Bill and Al, entertained all over northern Minnesota. Cloyd was a talented piano player who, according to his son, could have “gone big.” But he wanted to stay put and play music for the people right at home. “That’s what he wanted to do,” Dewey said. “This really meant a lot to him.”
The family sold the original 80 acres, but Dewey and his sister bought back four acres about 10 years ago, and with the help of friends and neighbors, they were able to restore the barn to create a music venue with a stage, a bar, and a place for Kilde family memorabilia.
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“Once we got the land I said, ‘You know what Dad, you’ve got a place to play again,’” Dewey said. “He was already in his 70s when we got this. We built the stage and got his piano in there. All the neighbors started coming. They loved his music. Others came and played, too.”
The festival began in 2016 at the urging of neighbor and friend Randy Bauer, who not only performs with his Smokehouse band, but also books the festival’s bands, manages the stage and handles sound and lighting through his company, R-Sound.
“It started as a little party,” Bauer said. “We brought in two flatbed trailers for stages. Now it has grown into what they call the Poor Man’s WE Fest.” Upwards of 800 people show up for the weekend, setting up campers and tents on nearby property. Last year the festival was canceled because of the pandemic.
That first festival in 2016 was special for the Kilde family. The headliner was Blind Joe Bommersbach, who had been a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice” the previous year.
“He called my father up to play a song with him,” Dewey said with a smile. “Dad passed after that first one in December 2016 at the age of 83.”
Other headliners over the years were Marty Haggard (Merle’s son), Georgette Jones (daughter of George Jones and Tammy Wynette), and Michael Twitty (Conway’s son).
A permanent stage has replaced those flatbeds. A wooden stall was built to house the family’s old musical instruments and memorabilia during the festival. This year a former pig barn has been transformed into a standup bar called the “Hog Trough.”
It all starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 8 with the Empty Cooler Band from the Nebish area. A highlight of the weekend is the presentation of colors by the Blackduck American Legion Post at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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Mitchel Jon, a Nashville singer who is scheduled to perform with Smokehouse at 5 p.m. Saturday, also will lead a gospel hour to wrap up the weekend at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 11.
Pre-sale tickets are no longer available, but tickets may be purchased at the gate. Prices are $50 for all three days or $20 for one day.
Dewey says he is proud to keep the Kilde music tradition going despite his own “lack of talent.” He appreciates the kind words he hears from the audience and hopes a new generation of musicians will emerge.
“One kid might see something up on stage and it might create a spark,” Dewey said. “That’s why we make it family friendly. I just take it a year at a time. I’m a dreamer, I guess.”
Weekend schedule
Thursday, July 8
- Empty Cooler Band at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 9
- Lady and the Tramps at 6 p.m.
- Whiskey Johnson at 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 10
- Presentation of Colors at 2 p.m.
- Sweet Freedom at 2:30 p.m.
- Mitchel Jon with Smokehouse at 5 p.m.
- Dion Pride at 8 p.m.
- Steele River Band at 9:30 p.m.
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