New festival bringing live music, barbecue and cannabis culture to Midway

A new festival aims to stimulate the senses, bringing live music and barbecue as well as "cannabis exploration and education" to Midway Travel Plaza.

The first-ever Buds Blues & BBQ fest takes places Sept. 13-14 at the area, known for its truck stop and shops, just a few miles west of Columbia on Interstate 70.

Organizer John Borland cited time spent at like-minded festivals in Kansas City, as well as the former Roots N Blues festival in Columbia, as inspiration for the event.

"We felt a strong desire to bring that barbecue culture back to Columbia," Borland said in a news release. "The Roots and Blues festival was a beloved event that brought the community together and created lasting memories. Many people, including myself, have missed it deeply. We're excited to revive that spirit and offer a weekend of great food, music and camaraderie."

The festival will indeed feature barbecue competitions , with both Kansas City Barbeque Society events and The People's Choice Rib Burn, an amateur cookoff. Festivalgoers can vote for their favorite in the latter event with a buy-in of $5.

The musical lineup stacks its fair share of local talent with blues-oriented and -adjacent rock and Americana acts. Astute local listeners will recognize names such as Blake Gardner and the Farmers, Down Side Up, Ruby Lane and The Daves.

Iowa City's Cedar County Cobras will headline Friday's slate, while locally-forged outfit The Flood Brothers will wrap up Saturday night.

As far as the buds go, copy on the festival website intimates they could be referring to taste buds, good friends or, indeed, cannabis. The fest will feature seminars on cannabis culture and booths "showcasing everything from CBD products to state-of-the-art cultivation technology," according to its website.

Borland has worked in cannabis for around 15 years, the festival site also notes.

Tickets are $30 for Friday or Saturday alone; $50 for the weekend. Learn more at https://budsbluesandbbq.com/ .

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: New festival bringing live music, barbecue and cannabis culture to Midway