While many festivals take place downtown, a trip north along State Road 1 toward Leo-Cedarville will be well worth your time on Saturday, June 22.

As you travel out of the city, you’ll come across Metea County Park. There, you can pay your $20, if you did not get your $15 presale ticket, and spend a day soaking in nature with a hike or swim alongside live music from noon-10 p.m.

Get into the Groove

The musical lineup is a who’s who of Fort Wayne talent.

“Bands that make you want to dance,” organizer Sarah Loshe said when asked about what she looks for when filling out the lineup.

Music kicks off at noon with young musicians from Fort Wayne’s School of Rock, followed by Gracie Jo at 12:30 p.m., Patti Whitemoss at 1 p.m., Sunny Taylor at 1:30 p.m., JJ & McRae at 2 p.m., Moderate Rock at 2:30 p.m., Adam Baker at 3:30 p.m., U.R.B. at 4 p.m., Dan Dickerson at 5 p.m., Grateful Groove at 5:30 p.m., Phil Schurger at 6:30 p.m., The Wailhounds at 7 p.m., Catfish Seminar at 8 p.m., and Pink Droyd closing things out at 9 p.m.

All the names should look familiar — outside of Catfish Seminar, who will be making the trip from Nashville, Tennessee.

“My boyfriend and I were actually working a festival out of town,” Loshe said. “They were playing there, and I told them what we were doing for the parks. He said he’d love to be a part of it.”

Helping parks

What Solfest is doing for the parks is raising funds for Metea and Fox Island county parks. Fox Island is still in the process of reforesting following a storm in 2022.

“We asked what they need right now to make their lives easier at the park, project-wise,” Loshe said. “For instance, Fox Island needs a new sprayer to protect the trees we planted last year. We help them go through the red tape. One hundred percent of the profits go to them.”

Proceeds will help with upgrades to the Nature Center at Metea, which is hosting Solfest for the second straight year.

“Metea was great. Everyone loves it,” Loshe said. “The space is huge. We still have the lake, we still have the bounce houses. I have six bounce houses this year, including an obstacle course.”

Along with the bounce houses, you will be able to spend the day hiking through the woods and swimming in the lake, where there will be some music being played.

“It will be like a whole separate thing over there by the lake,” Loshe said.

Solfest will also have local drinks from Fortlandia Brewing and Ambrosia Orchard, as well as food trucks and a marketplace.

In short, there will be no shortage of activities.

“There’s always something hands-on to do,” Loshe said. “This year, we’re going to have tie-dye. There will be a tie-dye station where you can tie-dye a Solfest T-shirt.”

If you’d like to help with the event, Loshe said she’s still seeking out sponsors and vendors. If interested, contact Loshe at (260) 494-6905.

“We still need some help,” she said.