Rocktoberfest to feature local vendors, band

Danny Dozier and the Lockhouse Orchestra will perform Saturday night at Rocktoberfest in Batesville. Rocktoberfest is being held to raise money to revitalize Main Street Batesville.
Danny Dozier and the Lockhouse Orchestra will perform Saturday night at Rocktoberfest in Batesville. Rocktoberfest is being held to raise money to revitalize Main Street Batesville.

BATESVILLE — Danny Dozier loves his city, and he’s doing whatever he can to keep that city in tiptop shape.

Just two weeks after his Downtown Tribute to Levon Helm, Dozier is heading up Batesville’s Fall Antique Fair and Rocktoberfest in Pocket Park in Batesville, starting Friday.

Dozier, a Batesville native, became involved with the Main Street Batesville organization when he learned the city was in jeopardy of losing its status with Main Street Arkansas.

“When I heard about that, I was invited to go to a Main Street Batesville Board meeting, and the Main Street Arkansas director was there,” Dozier said.

”I love our city, and it really bothered me to know the oldest city in Arkansas was about to lose its ‘Main Street’ status.”

Dozier said he worked with the members of the Main Street Batesville Board to find a way to get the city’s Main Street status back to where it needed to be, and is continuing to find ways to raise money for Batesville.

Two weeks ago, he and his band, Danny Dozier and the Lockhouse Orchestra, presented a tribute to Levon Helm to benefit Main Street Batesville.

“The money that we made from the event went to Batesville,” Dozier said.

He said Main Street Batesville now has a director and a board, and the organization’s duty is simply to preserve the city of Batesville.

“[To preserve the area], there are tons of things you have to do, and a lot of it is fundraising,” he said.

After his benefit concert, Dozier decided he wanted to do more for his community.

“I was just going to do [another] concert at first, and then I thought, ‘Let’s do more than just a concert—let’s turn this into a festival,’” Dozier said.

Batesville usually has an annual Antique Fall Festival, and Dozier said he feared the celebration wasn’t going to happen because of the lack of a director for the event.

He decided to take responsibility for the fest and combine it with his concert.

“The festival starts Friday,” Dozier said.

Friday’s festivities will feature local vendors with antiques and other collectibles available for purchase along Main Street.

Another activity featured at this year’s event was inspired by a childhood memory of Dozier’s.

“One of the nostalgic things I remember from when I was young—they used to have cakewalks downtown,” Dozier said.

He said he remembered participating in cakewalks as a child and wanted to bring the tradition back as another way to raise money for his hometown. Attendees can participate in the walks for a small fee, which will be donated to the city.

Four cakewalks will be held Saturday from 4-9:30 p.m., with the last walk featuring a grand prize — a Big Green Egg, a ceramic charcoal cooker.

Along with cakewalks and antiques, face painting and kids’ crafts will be available for the children, Dozier said. The North Arkansas Dance Theater of Mountain View will perform at 5:30 p.m., and Dozier’s band will perform at 7:30 p.m. His band plays covers of ’60s and ’70s hits, and a “splash of newer songs.”

“It’s the first year of [Rocktoberfest], and if it’s successful, it could be an annual event,” Dozier said. “It’s just a free community event for all of our citizens to enjoy.”

Staff writer Lisa Burnett can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or lburnett@arkansasonline.com.

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