Matthew Leimkuehler

mleimkuehler@dmreg.com

Country-western legend Willie Nelson and renowned songwriter Ray LaMontagne are scheduled to headline the second year of the Hinterland Music Festival in St. Charles, which attracted 7,000 people to the small town last year after organizers decided to move it from a flooded Water Works Park in Des Moines.

Hinterland founder Sam Summers called booking Nelson and LaMontagne for the festival's second year a "natural transition" from the festival's 2015 headliners Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. He said he wants to make Hinterland a summer entertainment destination. In 2015, tickets were sold to people in 45 different states and seven different countries.

“Year one built a solid foundation and proved that people in our state and region supported the idea of the festival,” Summers said.

The festival is scheduled for Aug. 5-6 at the Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater.

Nelson, a seven-time Grammy Award winner who's released over 60 studio albums in his career, performed at the Des Moines Civic Center in 2013.

LaMontagne is scheduled to release his sixth studio album, "Ouroboros," in March.

"Willie is a genre-defying artist that appeals to so many different types of people," Summers said. "He is absolutely a living legend and people who have seen him before know how he can captivate a crowd, even ones that might not be familiar with all of his 200 releases."

The 2016 Hinterland lineup also includes California-based rock group Cold War Kids, Midwestern roots act Pokey LaFarge, indie-pop group Lake Street Dive and more.

Also on the bill is Oklahoma-based country act Turnpike Troubadours and indie rock band San Fermin.

Photos: Willie Nelson through the years

A year removed from his latest studio album, "Radium Death," Iowa’s own soulful songsmith William Elliott Whitmore is set to appear, as is the Des Moines-based duo Field Division. A list of the full lineup can be found below.

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Photos: Nelson performs in Wisconsin in October 2015

Staying in St. Charles

When Hinterland launched its inaugural lineup in early 2015, it wasn’t scheduled to take place at Avenue of the Saints Amphitheater. The festival moved from its original location of Water Works Park, due to flooding, days before the July 31 and Aug. 1 show.

​More than 7,000 people attended, despite the last-minute move to the outskirts of the roughly 600-person town 30 miles outside of Des Moines.

90 photos: Day 1 from last year

“It was definitely a chaotic three days,” Summers said. “As chaotic as you think it might be, it was actually pretty well-executed by everyone (who) works with me. Obviously there’s a few things we can work to improve for future years, but everything kind of fell into place.”

He said it was reassuring to see people still willing to travel 30 miles see the lineup he had booked.

“When you’re standing there, watching the stage and the backdrop is all trees and behind you are fields of corn and in the distance you can see the skyline of Des Moines, it made a lot of sense," Summers said. "This is the perfect venue for us.”

Renatta Bolen, director of the amphitheater, said there’s plenty of room for the festival to grow. The amphitheater section of the grounds can hold up to 18,000 people.

“Hinterland was (the) biggest festival that we’ve had,” Bolen said.

She said some of the town’s residents were “overwhelmed” by the amount of people but still welcoming. Hinterland’s good for the growth of St. Charles and brings awareness to Madison County, she said.

John Walker, a 49-year-old who’s spent his whole life in St. Charles, said having Hinterland want to host the festival in the small town is “amazing.”

100 photos: Day 2 from last year

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He plans to open the Lion’s Club in the morning during the festival and serve breakfast to those festival-goers who camp overnight.

“It really brings the venue to life,” Walker said. “People get to see that there’s something in Iowa south of Des Moines. This is a chance for our little town to sparkle.”

Changes and improvements

For Summers, Hinterland’s about making the best festival experience he can. The Wooly’s and Up-Down co-owner said booking the show comes easiest and the festival experience is what he spends most time pondering.

“I think about how I would like to go to a festival and things I like to do,” Summers said. “Doing that stuff is what I spend most of my time looking at.”

Top music promoter Sam Summers is a metro stalwart

Fans can expect more space for camping and parking this year, as well as craft vendors and an overall family-friendly environment. Children under 12 are admitted into the festival for free, with a paying adult. The child-friendly attraction "Kinderland" will return with a new coloring book for kids to use.

To accommodate crowd sizes, more food options are also planned.

Free shuttles — which were an option in 2015 — will also be offered from a central location in Des Moines for those who choose not to drive to St. Charles. Details on pick-up locations are to be announced.

There will be one main stage of music for both days. Music starts at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 5 and noon on Aug. 6.

Tickets to Hinterland go on sale Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. Two-day general admission tickets cost $95. Two tiers of limited VIP packages are available for $259 and $599. More information on the festival can be found at hinterlandiowa.com.

Full 2016 Hinterland Music Festival lineup