A brief history with Cathy’s People of the Week, Rick and Eleanor Clarkson, aka the “faces of Riverfest”

By Cathy Miller

Meet The Clarksons

Rick and Eleanor moved to Knowlton in 1980. Rick was originally from North Caldwell, Eleanor from Parsippany, where they met. They purchased land in 1979 and moved in when house was completed.

Location, Location, Location

Every year, the free community music festival, Riverfest, took place at Hunter’s Lodge Field, Route 46, Knowlton Township, with parking on the property of the Knowlton Fire and Rescue Squad. It was a given that the Festival would be presented on Hunter’s Lodge grounds. This was the go-to place in Knowlton for large community events. The field accommodated parking for the first couple of years. However, as it grew, more space was required to allow nearly triple the amount of cars.

The Principals

• Frank Van Horn, mayor of Knowlton

Frank Van Horn had been elected to the township committee in 1994 but was not mayor during the first Riverfest (that honor was held by Jim Considine). It was, however, Van Horn’s idea to bring the people of the town together to celebrate. Frank became mayor in 1996 and served many years thereafter.

• Rick Clarkson, director, Knowlton Recreation Department

Rick had been Knowlton Recreation Director for two or three years prior to the first event. He and Frank, however, had worked together for a number of years through town athletics, coaching and other town activities.

Year One: A (Music) Community Comes Together

“Originally, Riverfest was meant to be everything BUT a music festival!” says Eleanor. She added that Frank was ‘great at starting fires,’ and he had all kinds of exciting ideas, but sometimes implementation was a rough go.

He envisioned athletics and river activities and plenty of food. He looked for volunteers to help with soccer and volleyball tournaments, a 5K race, and pig roast. Although Riverfest would always have a commendable food and beverage court, plenty of craft vendors, and lots of fun and games for the kids, none of the other recreation ideas really materialized. Just the music, which seemed to have a life of its own.

Rick enjoyed live music and he thought he could handle this Festival as he first envisioned — one band on Friday and one on Saturday. Then it began to snowball. Rick recalled, “Someone said we had to have a tent. Other people said we needed more than one day. It became apparent that what we needed was more funding.”

After attending Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Rick decided he wanted to set up Riverfest like Volksplatz.

Before they knew it, Riverfest became a three-day affair. He asked for help from his wife Eleanor and Recreation Department treasurer George Trongone, both of whom were incredibly instrumental in the success of the event.

As they got more involved, they recognized more and more things that had to be done, like finding musical talent. The only problem? The team had no idea where to find musicians.

As luck would have it, Rick Clarkson tuned in to WNTI and decided to call the radio station. Jack Tannehill was in the studio, and Amy Price, the “rock and roll doctor,” answered the phone. It was suggested that Rick reach out to Jerry Balderson, a fellow WNTI radio host and the owner of Buy or Die Records in Hackettstown, both a store and a record label.

Jerry asked Rick, “Are you for real?” Rick offered his credentials — recreation director of Knowlton — and that was good enough. Jerry, who hosted his own concerts in the area, was only involved for that first year of Riverfest in 1995, presenting his Buy or Die Concert on Sunday. Of Jerry, Rick said, “He was helpful to us finding local performers for our Friday and Saturday shows and he was looking for grounds to hold his concert, so it became a win for both.”

The first performer the Clarksons ever booked for Riverfest was Mike Esposito, a local musician, specializing in traditional American music, who played solo on Saturday, August 9, 1995. The inaugural 1995 Riverfest also included a Battle of the Bands with four local bands competing, a non-denominational service on Sunday morning (a tradition that continued through all its years), and Jerry Balderson’s “Buy or Die Concert,” featuring seven acts, on Sunday afternoon.

Also of note? The rain.

“In 1995 we had a terrible drought,” Rick recalled. “There were forest fires in the mountains along the ridge in Blairstown and Knowlton leading to the Gap. It hadn’t rained for weeks, and then the skies opened up and heavy rain fell for over an hour. The music continued, the tent didn’t leak a bit*, and many rejoiced by dancing in the rain!”

*Three weeks before Riverfest's opening day, Rick realized the tent they needed had never actually been ordered! Rick rushed to find one locally, but there weren't any available, so they made one instead!

Riverfest Grows

Year two, The Black Widow Blues Band joined the fun. Maybe, in this author’s opinion, the best cover band for funky music in New Jersey, they would remain a part of the bill through 2003.

By year three, 1997, they had a really great line-up, but people didn’t know much about it. Eleanor said, “In our third year, as an act was getting ready to hit the stage, someone behind me in the audience asked her friend ‘who’s coming up?’ The friend replied, ‘It doesn’t matter, they’re all great!’ And that’s when I knew we were on to something magical.”

They really stepped up the booking in year four by hiring The Battlefield Band from Scotland, a group that Rick says they were “lucky” to get. Those familiar with C.T. Tucker, the front man for the famed local group, Blue Sparks From Hell, might recall this band, as well, as he used to book them on his shows. Joining The Battlefield Band was Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun.

However, in these early years, despite everyone’s best efforts, people still weren’t showing up in droves. They couldn’t seem to fill that big tent. By 2000, they had a solid audience each year, but still not a full tent! That wouldn’t always be the case.

The first group to completely fill the infamous tent was the Red Elvises. The crowd spilled over everywhere. Eleanor said, “It was scary to see. We’d never had anything like that before.” What a show it was! This was in 2000, the first time they played at Riverfest. (They returned in 2003 with another tsunami of wild and raucous Siberian surf rock.)

Rick noted that 2000 was the year that Dan Hirshberg came on board as the promotions person. He had been recommended by multiple people associated with the festival.

Rick said, “Dan Hirshberg understood the essence of what was going on. He helped immensely, and was critical in finding performers for Riverfest’s Acoustic Stage. In fact. before Dan, we didn’t have an acoustic tent. He came up with the idea and ran with it. That was a great addition to Riverfest.”

The lineup kept growing.

Stanley Jordan, a solo jazz guitarist, performed in both 2001 and 2002. Eleanor recalled, “People came right up to the stage and sat down. He blew the doors off, especially when he played ‘1984’ by Jimi Hendrix.”

In 2002, Joe Sallins, who had played with Tony Vacca, brought six guys with him from Massachusetts and performed between Blue Sparks from Hell and Railroad Earth. That turned out to be quite a diverse Friday night. That year also featured Huun Huur Tu, throat singers from Russia, Kepa Junkera, a Basque accordionist playing traditional folk music from Spain, and Shooglenifty, with their techno-Celtic stylings, from Scotland – a tremendous example of the diversity of Riverfest.

By now, booking agents wanted their acts to play Riverfest!

In 2004, “Richard Bona, a Cameroonian jazz bassist, voted top ten bass player in the world by Guitar Magazine, hit the stage at 6,” Eleanor recalled. “People were talking and making noise under the tent, and suddenly they got very quiet,” enraptured by the music. Friday night of 2004 was a powerhouse, with Elroy, from New York City, followed by returning act BROTHER from Australia, and closing with the always crowd-pleasing, New Jersey’s own Railroad Earth.

In 2007, Rick and Eleanor discovered Ian Parker thanks to WNTI deejay Greg Lewis. Eleanor said the British bluesman was “sexy hot,” as did many others in attendance after his debut performance at Riverfest. He performed on Friday night, the first hit of a one-two-three punch, followed by Gandalf Murphy and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, and finally Sonny Landreth. Ian graced the Riverfest stage once more early Saturday evening to an even more appreciative crowd.

In 2008, the final year of Riverfest, the night Terrance Simien and Del Castillo were on the bill, from the side of the stage Terrance listened to Del Castillo performing and yelled, “We love you.” In return, while Terrance was onstage, Del Castillo called out to him. Eleanor said, “You can’t make this happen, it just happens.”

Finding Talent Was A Team Effort

Eleanor and Rick listened to around 200 CDs each year in search of new, exciting and diverse performers. Rick said Eleanor had a good ear, while Eleanor said Rick would labor over the music. Rick chose the music, he said at first. No, wait. “Actually,” he clarified, “the person much more into providing the quality entertainment was Eleanor.” She just knew what would be a hit. Eleanor also designed the various Riverfest logos that graced flyers, t-shirts and advertisements.

When asked who their favorite performers were over 13 festivals, Eleanor said it’s practically impossible to choose. Mike Stern, a jazz guitarist who had played with the likes of Miles Davis and Blood, Sweat and Tears “blew my mind,” she said.

Of another favorite, Yerba Buena, she said, “the place erupted, people were bouncing up and down” during their set. It was amazing to see.

Baka Beyond was a group they’d always wanted to hire. When they hit the stage, it proved to be worth the wait.

Ray Wylie Hubbard, a Texan country-blues artist, and the Russian throat singers Huun Hour Tu round out their short list of favorites.

As our conversation flowed, turns out Darrell Scott, country roots guitarist-singer-songwriter, was another big hit, as was Sons of the San Joaquin, a family band featuring Western cowboy music, and John Jorgenson, multi-talented, multi-genre instrumentalist, known for his guitar work.

“It was important to bring diversity to Riverfest – from other countries, from other parts of the US, and other genres of music,” said Eleanor. “We wanted people to hear it and to love it.”

How many people came through the Riverfest gates for those 13 festivals? No one knows for sure! Since it was usually a free event, says Rick, "We only gauged by how many cars were parked." They estimate an average of 6,000 each year from 2000-onward.

A Community Comes Together, Part 2

From day one, this was Knowlton’s event. That first year, the township sponsored it, they sent the Department of Public Works to set it up, Knowlton Elementary School lent a stage and chairs, the fire department parked cars and vended food.

Much of the town got involved. Eleanor said it was “really important to get people to participate. People, groups, vendors, everyone was happy.”

How were they able to pull off this huge event while keeping it free for all but two years? Rick explained, “Fundraise like crazy. Businesses would donate $5, $100, or even $1,000. They were happy to donate. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Lions Club, Fire Company – it was like a fundraiser for the Fire and Rescue because they were parking cars and selling food – Athletic Association, Local Foodshed Alliance.”

Rick said, “Once it became a success, everyone wanted to be a part of it. They were willing to give, knowing that we were trying to keep it going, to keep it inexpensive and family oriented.” They tried to make everybody feel really comfortable.

WNTI Lends A Welcome Helping Hand

Rick used to do stage announcements at the beginning. Often he wasn’t in the tent, and somebody would have to scramble to locate him or find someone else to emcee. Once WNTI got involved, it helped out in many areas, but announcing was the biggest one for Rick!

Rick said, “When Mel Thiel became station manager at WNTI is when they came on board to a much larger degree. WNTI was playing Riverfest music during everyone’s shows. They played Riverfest commercials six to eight times a day. All in an effort to help promote the festival.”

Rick said, “Mel volunteered at the festival prior to her involvement with WNTI. While a volunteer with the Rescue Squad of Belvidere, she ran kids’ activities at Riverfest.”

The Last Hurrah

There was no Riverfest in 2006. The Clarksons took the year off. They were warned they’d lose everything, but they desperately needed a sabbatical.

A lot of people stepped up to make sure they came back, but it became apparent that someone else would eventually have to take it over. That person would have to support Rick and Eleanor’s mission: keep it very affordable, family-oriented, and unequivocally be a fundraiser for Knowlton and surrounding towns.

Talk about dedication (and exhaustion), every night after the field was emptied of attendees, Rick and Eleanor would walk the grounds picking up the trash that was left behind.

Riverfest’s last hurrah was in 2008. Rick explained, “We were ready when it was done. We produced 13 events over 14 years. We really couldn’t devote the time anymore because of life changes. We tried to find someone to continue with Riverfest and our mission – affordable, family-friendly, free for 17 years old and younger. In the meantime, we wanted to get enough money to do one more year.”

They really wanted to make it memorable and monumental.

Friday night of the final three days of Riverfest ended with Gandalf Murphy and The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, a perennial favorite of Riverfest attendees, followed by The Horse Flies, who closed out the night. Rick noted, “Gandalf was a big part of Friday nights at Riverfest, beginning in 2005, thanks to their agent at the time who ‘insisted’ I hire them.”

The extra surge of funding resulted in a few performers outside of the Clarksons’ usual tier of music. “Yes, we went and got groups we ordinarily wouldn’t have spent the money on,” said Rick. “We hired Terrance Simien for a second time. We wanted him again because when he played the first time we couldn’t afford to properly provide for him with hotel rooms and other essentials. It was important to bring him back after his Grammy win and make it up to him and his group.”

Saturday night featured the mesmerizing Del Castillo, now near-legendary Ian Parker, while Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience was the last act onstage.

The Darrell Scott Trio was another high-cost act. The Clarksons wanted an artist who everyone would stay for that last Sunday afternoon. They hired Bill Kirchen and the Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods to close, a fitting act to bring down the curtain on Riverfest.

With all the local luminaries whose names have been associated with Riverfest, it’s quite clear, as Eleanor commented, “Everyone knows each other through music!”

Post-Riverfest

When Rick and Eleanor began Riverfest, their son was 15, and their daughter was 10. Their children helped immensely, right down to stuffing envelopes. During the Riverfest years, along with his position as director of the Knowlton Recreation Department, Rick was a self-employed landscaper, retiring two years ago. Upon joining the Knowlton Township Historic Commission (KTHC) in late 2017, Rick collaborated with KTHC member Dr. Dennis Melillo, who has organized the annual Ramsaysburg Summer Concerts in the Barn Series since 2013, to arrange a special outdoor event in the new Riverside Amphitheater. Eleanor worked for Knowlton Township and, later, Liberty Township, as deputy clerk and registrar, respectively, along with many other positions. She now has the time to resume her painting, something that was put on the back burner during the Riverfest years. They are now the doting grandparents of three young grandchildren. 

On September 14 of this year, Washington Borough’s Festival In The Borough celebrated its 15th Anniversary, during which The Slambovian Circus of Dreams (formerly Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, aka The Grand Slambovians) performed. Rick and Eleanor were in attendance. Eleanor recounted, “Basically, I heard Joziah go through the history of how [The Slambovian Circus of Dreams] first came to play in Warren County. When he mentioned Knowlton Riverfest, which was the group’s first appearance in the area, the crowd immediately erupted in a loud applause. I was amazed at how many remembered Knowlton Riverfest so enthusiastically after eleven years!”

Which brings us full circle, with a huge thank you to Rick and Eleanor Clarkson for investing so much of themselves in this part of Warren County’s cultural history – Knowlton Riverfest.

What’s your favorite Riverfest memory? Share in the comments!

Have someone you’d like to see as Person of the Week? Contact Cathy at info@insidewarren.com

Editor’s note: This editor enjoyed the trip down memory lane so much she wanted to re-live it! The below story includes links to third-party videos and websites featuring some of the bands and artists mentioned. Please use your own discretion whenever following outside web links. Enjoy!