Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a bit of Square Fest down in the Highland Square area. For all those who don’t know, Square Fest is a festival presented by Mustard Seed Market & Cafe. It’s a pretty big festival with food, art, children’s activities, a pizza competition, beer, and lots of music.

There were four or five outdoor stages throughout the area that featured tons of different local musical acts. In addition to those stages, a few of the local establishments (Annabell’s, Ray’s Pub, Square, Angel Falls Coffee Co., Highland Tavern and Highland Square Library) featured musicians as well. The event began at 11am and lasted until 7pm while the music continued on until 9pm.

Due to having to work earlier in the day, I only got a chance to see a few acts, but the ones I did see were pretty great. Street performers roamed the area and children weaved their way around adults who looked at local art pieces, jewelry, and other knick-knacks.

One stage on the far end was strictly the family stage. All of those acts were family friendly and some were from the University of Akron. Other stages were a mixture while the ones in bars played music mainly geared towards adults.

When I arrived, Moon Rocks (Cleveland, OH) was rocking the Highland Tavern. I didn’t get a chance to snap photos of them, but they were fantastic. I got to see them play at Buzzbin earlier this year and was hooked. They always know how to put on a good show.

Moving outside, I caught the tail end of a group of older gentlemen playing on the Family Stage. They were really good and I hated that I didn’t catch their name.

Acid Cats was my absolute favorite. They played on the main stage around 6:15. I had heard the name around but didn’t know anything about them beyond that. I was pleasantly surprised that it was pretty much jazz rock. They played a few older songs mixed with some originals. The saxophone enthralled me. I haven’t heard anyone play one live in quite a long time so I was ecstatic.

The Shivering Timbers also caught my eye. My friend Matt told me that they were a headlining act that you must see. He was right. They are a local band that plays folk rock with a soothing/haunting sound. Sarah Benn’s double bass made me like them even more. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on them in the future.

Overall, it was a ton of fun and I can’t wait until next year.

Thanks for reading,