Despite people coming in Saturday afternoon a little slower than expected, attendance soared at the Wartrace MusicFest in comparison to last year, with many in the crowd anticipating festival headliner Marty Stuart's performance.

"It took the crowd a long time to get there, but people were rolling in all day," said Laura Gentry, Wartrace city recorder. "I think the rain might have had something to do with that ... but Marty drew in a good crowd."

A crowd of about 600 people made it in time to see Stuart's Saturday evening performance.

"Marty was Marty," said Don Gallagher, mayor of Wartrace. "I think he really enjoyed himself and put on a great show."

While tabulations are not yet complete, Gallagher feels sure Wartrace has "kept its head above water," despite the high expense of organizing the festival.

"We had some big time acts this year," said Gallagher. "They gave us some good deals but bringing in acts like them [Marty Stuart and Cherryholmes] is not cheap."

Gallagher said many people weren't too familiar with Cherryholmes prior to hearing them play Friday night. But the family band, consisting of Jere, Sandy Lee, Cia Leigh, Molly Kate, B.J. and Skip, won the hearts of many new fans by the end of the night.

Gallagher said Wartrace advertised this year more than ever, which helped draw in more spectators and competitors. But the best advertisement is good old fashioned word of mouth.

He hopes word of this year's event will spread and make next year an even better event.

"This event is great for Wartrace and the county," said Gallagher. "It's a building process, but all of the elements are coming together quite nicely."

By Sadie Fowler