Mankato, Minn.  –   Returning to Mankato for its second year, the Kwik Trip Bend of the River Fall Festival will features Rock-N-Roll legends, 38 Special, and Grammy nominated Country-Rock-Pop artist, Elle King on September 16.
 
Rock-n-Roll legends, 38 SPECIAL, have created outstanding songs for over 40 years. They've released 15 albums, many garnering gold and platinum status. They are best known for their early 1980s hit singles "Hold on Loosely" and "Caught Up in You". Their guitar-driven arena rock style has produced several Top 10 and Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
 
Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, ELLE KING, is best known for her gritty-bluesy country-rock style of music. Her 2015 hit "Ex's & Oh's" reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was quickly followed by another hit, "America's Sweetheart". Collaborations with Dierks Bentley in 2016 and 2022, and also with Miranda Lambert, have put Elle King on the country, pop, and rock music charts.
 
In addition to this outstanding musical line-up, this one-day festival will be announcing another artist later this Spring to round out the mainstage entertainment. The event will also feature DJ Dougie, sponsored by Real Country 103.5 KYSM, food trucks, beverages, lawn games, and more activities taking place throughout the day.
 
This year's event will once again be held on the nearly five acres of green space in the practice fields just west of historic Blakeslee Stadium on the campus of Minnesota State University, with ample parking within walking distance.  Building off a year of experience and the success of previous campus events, such as Vikings Training Camp and Hockey Day Minnesota, the layout of the festival will be reconfigured slightly according to Robyn James, festival organizer.
 
"We were really excited about how the festival performed in its first year, but we noted some things we felt could be changed to further enhance the festival layout.  We will move the stage to the hard surface parking lot just north of the practice fields and our vendors will relocate into a village area just behind Blakeslee Stadium.  Some of these elements have proven successful for other high profile events on campus and we feel we can leverage this setup to create an even greater experience for those in attendance."
 
Tickets include General Admission, VIP and a new PIT ticket option for those fans that want to get close to the stage. Presale tickets start at just $38, making this festival an affordable entertainment option for all ages. For access to the presale discount offer, sign up to join the BOTR Fam at www.BOTRFest.com to get your offer code. Presale offers run through 11:00 pm on January 25. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday at 10:00 am and start at just $48. To buy tickets, or for more information on the festival, visit www.BOTRFest.com.
 
Bend of the River Fall Festival is sponsored in part by local businesses, including: Kwik Trip, BLK Electric, Laurel's Peak, StoreIT, Community Bank, Bolton & Menk, Gillette Pepsi of Mankato, The Mankato Free Press, Radio Mankato, Alpha Media, Country Inn & Suites, Up North Treading Company, North Star Aviation, ISG, Federated Insurance, PUBs, and more. For sponsorship opportunities, email bendoftheriverfestival@gmail.com
 
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For mor information, contact:
 
Robyn James
507.327.8047
Bendoftheriverfestival@gmail.com