Cliff Eveland

Petaluma High School band instructor Cliff Eveland started the Petaluma Music Festival back in 2008 to raise money for  school music programs.

It hasn’t always been easy, but he has made good on his promise.

After a slow start, the festival has grown over the years, and last August at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, it raised $30,000.

In December, the Petaluma Music Festival made donation presentations at two dozen Petaluma area public school winter concerts and assemblies.

Last summer’s festival drew a crowd of 3,000 to hear Jackie Greene, The Pimps of Joytime, Nicki Bluhm and Poor Man’s Whiskey.

“We expect our sixth annual festival on Aug. 3, 2013, to be even better,” Eveland said.