Cracker to headline Hopstring Fest Aug. 23 in downtown Joliet

Rock band Cracker will headline the third annual Hopstring Fest on Saturday, Aug. 23 at Silver Cross Field in downtown Joliet.

Tickets for the 12-hour celebration of live music, food and craft beer are $20 and will be available in mid-April through hopstringfest.com and at Chicago Street Pub, 75 N. Chicago St., Joliet.

"With the addition of Cracker this year, there is no guarantee that tickets will be available at the door," Hopstring Fest presenter and Chicago Street Pub owner Mike Trizna said in a post April 8. "We are truly trying to make this the best fest in Illinois"

The first two Hopstring Fests drew thousands of fans to Joliet's downtown for the daylong celebrations. Returning this year are mainstage performers The Righteous Hillbillies, The Steepwater Band,  Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts, John Condron & the Old Gang Orchestra, Ed Anderson, Chicago Farmer, The Regressors and Alex Hoffer. Bluegrass ensemble Leadfoot and local band The Prairie Ghosts join the mainstage lineup presented by Flipside Works this year. 

Along with the expanded mainstage lineup, Hopstring Fest 2014 will feature two side stages showcasing local original artists and performers. 

Alternative rockers Cracker were formed by singer/songwriter David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman in 1991. Their self-titled debut album featured the hits "Happy Birthday To Me" and "Teen Angst" ("What the World Needs Now'). Their million-selling 1993 album "Kerosene Hat" included the hits "Low" and "Euro-Trash Girl." For the past 20 years, the band has continued touring and releasing 10 studio albums, with "Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey" being the most recent.