The Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival in Sedalia

This coming year's Scott Joplin Festival will be held in Sedalia Missouri beginning on May 31, 2006 and running through June 4th, 2006. It's considered one of the best known and most prestigious ragtime events in the world.

Sedalia may not be the only town with a building mural. But where others may commemorate sports figures, Sedalia features a 50-foot tall painting of its favorite son, Scott Joplin, at the piano.

50-foot tall mural of Scott Joplin

One of the most widely heard observations about past year's festivals is the folksy feeling they seem to recapture from years gone by. What with amateur and professionals alternating on the stage of the Maple Leaf tent, performers circulating freely throughout the crowds, and numerous duet performances that seemed to spontaneously erupt.

Not 25 feet behind the Maple Leaf Park are the train tracks. To this day, performers and audiences experience the same sounds as Scott Joplin did when the Maple Leaf Club occupied this same site so many years ago.

The Sedalia Express

For the past several years, the Scott Joplin Festival has been coordinated by Music Directors Sue Keller and John Petley. For a detailed report on the 2005 Scott Joplin Festival, check out Jack Rummel's write-up. And visit the official home of the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation.