San Benito sets new music festival

SAN BENITO — The first Resaca City Music Festival is preparing to take the stage.

City commissioners have approved a contract with Rock Solid Management to produce the event set for Oct. 21.

Last week, the city approved a $12,400 proposal from Rock Solid Management to handle the event’s music production.

“This event will celebrate the city’s musical heritage by promoting the evolution of conjunto music and the various genres that have enhanced its identity, or, in turn, have been inspired by conjunto’s traditional sounds,” Mayor Ben Gomez stated.

The event will he held on the same weekend the Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center had planned its 26th Annual Conjunto Festival.

Last month, Rogelio Nuñez, the arts center’s founder, canceled the three-day event after the city increased its fees to $17,365.

The city launched a new music festival “not necessarily in response to the cancellation but as a means to help raise funds for the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum,” city spokeswoman Martha McClain stated earlier.

“It would not be a replacement of the Conjunto Festival,” she said.

The event at Heavin Memorial Park will feature Los Garcia Brothers, Whiskey D, Retoño, Buck N Crazy and Invazzion.

The event is part of the city’s program to develop a cultural district surrounding the upcoming San Benito Cultural Heritage Center, soon to house the Freddy Fender Museum, the Texas Conjunto Hall of Fame and Museum, the San Benito History Museum and other cultural features.

“The Resaca City Music Festival is part of the city of San Benito’s efforts to cultivate a cultural district which will entertain future community programming and events,” Luis Contreras, the city’s museum coordinator, stated.