Chris Flemmons tipped his shot glass to the music-filled ceiling in a toast, as someone said, “Let’s make this … rock,”clinked his glass and took a swallow.

The festival founder and organizer of the North by 35 Music Conferette wasn’t alone.

Rocking it out, most of the 100 festival volunteers for the second annual event attended Sunday’s volunteer orientation and kickoff party at Dan’s Silverleaf, where small teams met to discuss plans for the upcoming March festival.

Courtesy photo/Danny Fulgencio

Surrounded by other volunteers, Bethany Merren listens as North by 35 administrators instruct the crowd at the NX35 Music Conferette kickoff party at Dan's Silverleaf in Denton on Sunday evening.

View larger More photos Photo store

This year’s festival will feature a free outdoor show by the Flaming Lips — the critically lauded experimental rock band from Norman, Okla. — expected to draw an estimated 20,000 fans to the area. The outdoor show also will feature Denton band Midlake, whose third album is due out in February.

After spending many nights sleeping at the NX35 headquarters on Cedar Street, Flemmons said he’s been relying on the numerous volunteers who showed up Sunday to help with the details and logistics of the event to make it a success.

“This is a Denton music event, and the people working this have a tremendous amount of ownership,” Flemmons said. “If they didn’t care, it would not come off like it will.”

The long-term success of the March 11-14 “conferette” will rest on the shoulders of reliable volunteers, he said, who will help with small details ranging from noise and safety to trash and waste.

Denton city officials have been heavily involved in the planning process of the walkable event, which will include closing down Hickory Street for the Flaming Lips concert. Organizers plan to set up an outdoor stage at the corner of Hickory and Industrial Street.

City officials are concerned about closing down the street, but the concert and the entire NX35 event will help bolster Denton’s profile and the local economy, said Linda Ratliff, the city’s economic development director.

“We’ve read all over that Denton is a little Austin, but maybe someday Austin will be called a big Denton,” Ratliff said. “This festival will bring a lot of economic benefits to the area as people stay in our hotels and eat at our restaurants. This is the same thing as a big conference, but even more so, since this is more than one day.”

While the four-day music festival will add another revenue stream to the local economy in the short term, the possibility of making Denton a more attractive place to live could have long-term impact, said Michael Seman, a research associate at the Institute of Urban Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington.

“There is a stronger possibility by having the festival in Denton, it could make the city a more attractive place for corporate relocations,” said Seman, a Denton resident. “It’s another amenity people consume.”

Dan Mojica, co-owner of Dan’s Silverleaf, said he was impressed with the number of volunteers who showed up Sunday and feels those numbers bode well for the festival.

“It makes me proud to be part of the Denton experience,” Mojica said. “Denton is such a phenomenal community.”

That community, the Square, local restaurants and bars will all be showcased during the Flaming Lips show, which is a huge deal for the music scene, he said.

Festival volunteer Isaac Hoskins, whose band the Heelers will be performing during the festival, said the Flaming Lips show will embody what Denton stands for — “a very eclectic, somewhat eccentric, definitely different show.”

Volunteering is something that’s important for him to do for the music community.

“Denton’s done a lot for me, growing up as an artist,” Hoskins said.

CANDACE CARLISLE can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is ccarlisle@dentonrc.com.