Photo by Alyse Horn
Olympus Mons played the Main Stage at Middle Street and Foreland Street during the 2014 Deutschtown Music Festival on Saturday, July 12.

By Alyse Horn and Abbey Reighard

It’s estimated that 6,000 people poured into the Northside on Saturday, July 12 for the daylong Deutschtown Music Festival, according to Co-founder Ben Soltesz.

Soltesz said he contributes the high volume of attendees to the earlier start of the bands this year and the great press the event received leading up to the festival.

“Everyone had a great time and we didn’t hear a lot of complaints,” Soltesz said. “It was incident free and we had great [feedback] from the bands.”

Slim Forsythe & his New Payday Loners played in the 3 p.m. time slot on the Park Stage in Allegheny Commons East. Lead singer Kevin “Slim” Forsythe told the crowd, “You’re making us feel right at home.”

Annie Posset, a registered nurse from South Hills, said it was her first year attending the festival, but after ten minutes of festival music, Posset said she thought the event was “pretty cool.

“I think [the festival] helps people to get to know their community,” Posset said. “People get to see what is out here [on the Northside].”

Soltesz said there was a core group of about five people who helped plan the event, along with 18 to 20 volunteers, but in its entirety the event would not “work without the Northside and without the neighborhood residents.”

“That’s the point of it,” Soltesz said. “Without their general support we couldn’t do [the festival].”

Cody Walters, co-founder for the music festival, said he learned from last year’s event and this year did more to get the word out through fundraisers and radio interviews with the participating bands.

“We had a whole year to plan for the festival this time around,” Walters said.

Soltesz said within the coming weeks, the core committee for the festival will meet to analyze the event, figure out what they can do better, and possibly pick a date for next year’s festival.

Those who attended the music festival this year can send feedback to the organizers by visiting the Deutschtown Music Festival website and clicking on the feedback link.

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