Since the beginning, KZSM.org has taken our mission to educate, engage, enlighten, and entertain out of the studio and into the community by supporting live music events. Our Kissing Alley concerts enlivened the Downtown Association’s Third Thursday Walkabouts every month, and we helped sustain the annual SM Fest.
This year, thanks to the hard work and ingenuity of Apogee Presents, we have participated in a safe, outdoor version of SM Fest that offered two evenings of free live music for families, students, and everyone in our beautiful community.
SM Fest was celebrated under a full moon October 30 and 31 on the Courthouse lawn and provided hours of socially responsible entertainment, featuring fourteen different bands, seven each night. The organizers maintained safe distancing by tracking festival goers to limit participants to two hundred. Their precautions extended to details such as keeping dancers distanced and repeatedly sanitizing porta-potties.
KZSM.org hosts Dave Wendel, Salana Henderson, Sammy Falletta, Jeremiah Wilkerson, Jason Johnson, and other volunteers staffed a booth for the station and called in live reports to the studio for broadcast. In addition, Carole Coburn, host of “Friday Night With Care” (Fridays 8-10 p.m), introduced Oscar Ornales; Ray Howard, host of “Into the Gray” (Fridays 10 a.m. to noon) presented Old Lane; and Jason Johnson of “The Big Sad” (Wednesdays 6-7 p.m.), introduced Summer Rental.
Mark Moniz of “Metal Mark Live” (Thursdays 10 p.m. to midnight) proudly presented Hate Waker, which he describes as “one of the best death metal bands from San Marcos Texas,” explaining that “it's very important for local music to be seen, especially in their hometown.”
“Their sound was incredible,” Moniz recalls, “they really knew what they were doing. My friends hit the stage wearing their Halloween costumes of death.” In keeping with the holiday and the full moon, a costumed werewolf roamed among the festival goers.
Our KZSM.org radio hosts had a wonderful time while helping San Marcos celebrate safely, thanks to a City of San Marcos Arts and Cultural Grant. Like our broadcasting, our live events are entirely supported by donations and staffed by volunteers. You can become part of our KSZM. org family and join us in celebrating our diverse, vibrant community. Contact KZSMSanMarcos@gmail. com to learn how you can develop your own broadcast, how you can volunteer your time, or how you can donate to support our 501(c)(3)nonprofit.
