Friday, May 3, 2024
Bret Cali has the general store at Bend, a small place near the Colorado River south of San Saba. It has beer and music and the flavor of Luckenbach.
“Some people say it’s the new Luckenbach,” says Bret. “It’s kind of hard to find, like Luckenbach. Hondo Crouch, who owned Luckenbach, said if you can’t find it, you’re not supposed to be there.”
Bret’s entrepreneurial talents have taken him all over the world in several different types of endeavors, including a landscaping company in England. This time it’s throwing a big eclipse party the first weekend in April at Lometa, not far from Bend.
“I’m calling it The Sun Festival,” says Bret. “It’s at the Lometa Fair Grounds, about 80 to 100 acres. I have plenty of clean port-a-potties, a big sound crew, and quite a few awesome artists who will be performing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before the total eclipse on Monday the 8th of April. Ray Wylie Hubbard will appear at 8 p.m. Sunday night. I’m trying to mix up the music a little bit, because these people are from all over the world. So, I’ve got reggae, world music, and of course some Texas country. There won’t be any music during the eclipse.”
The center of Texas is considered prime viewing for the eclipse, and tons of activities are planned for the millions of visitors who are expected to come to the area.
“I’m making sure the people who come to my event have everything they need on site, so they won’t have to leave. That includes a variety of food and plenty of ice. We’ll have all sorts of vendors. Goods and services in all these areas are going to be wiped out. Cars are going to be backed up on all the roads. Getting to places will be very difficult. Security is going to be tight with two helicopter staging areas. We’re right next to Lampasas, one of the epicenters for viewing. NASA has named it one of the prime areas. All hotel rooms in Lampasas were booked two years ago. I was real lucky to get the festival grounds. I’m not expecting a wild crowd. I want to keep it relaxed and not overcrowded. We’ll probably have some people sitting around a fire playing guitars in the evening. The park itself is beautiful.”
Bret has staged musical events most of his adult life, so he knows what’s involved. He’s planning on at least a thousand people showing up.
“I’m charging half, or less than half, of what other people are charging. For one person, camping for two nights, seeing all the shows and everything, it’s $250. I’m giving the city half of that.”
The stage is at the bottom of a hill, so the viewpoint to watch the bands is ideal. Musical groups scheduled to appear in Lometa are Two Tons of Steel, The Paul Logan Band, and Gus Clark on Friday; The Bode Barker Band, Thomas Michael Riley, Ryan Glenn and The Honky Tonk Heat, plus The Lampasas All Stars on Saturday; Ray Wylie Hubbard, Watusi World Music, and Round the Roots Riddim on Sunday. Joe King Carrasco and Rochelle, and the Sidewinders, will perform after the eclipse on Monday. In addition, there will be open jams daily and nightly. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own instruments. The Lometa Regional Park is on US Highway 183 in Lometa.
