Ian Price | July 17, 2026
ROANOKE, Va. — FloydFest is still one week away from opening its gates, but a custom metal fabrication studio in Roanoke has already left a massive mark on the festival grounds.
When the five-day music festival kicks off next Wednesday, July 22, fans will be greeted by a brand-new, 10-foot circular steel entrance sign. The piece was designed and welded in Roanoke’s Riverdale area by Lift-Arc Studios.
Owner Tay Whiteside said his crew is actively transitioning from standard handrails to massive, custom art pieces.
“Large-scale, custom signage and sculpture work is very much what we do at the shop now,” Whiteside said. “We started with smaller metal signs for us and local businesses, and they seem to just get bigger every year. So the bigger they are, the more excited we are to tackle the project. They make a much bigger impact when you install them. Much like the FloydFest sign, that’s a 10-foot circle. That’s pretty hard to miss as soon as you start going down the main drag there.”
Roanoke partnership showcases local craftsmanship
The updated display is modeled after the festival’s “Horizon” theme, replacing a northern lights design the studio fabricated for last year’s event. The partnership marks the second consecutive year Lift-Arc Studios has collaborated with FloydFest organizers.
FloydFest is expected to draw up to 20,000 music fans to its permanent festival park starting next Wednesday. To help shape the look of the grounds, organizers teamed up with the Roanoke-based studio. Whiteside said collaborating with the festival crew allows his growing team to showcase Star City craftsmanship to a massive regional audience.
“It’s just a good group of people to be working with and creating stuff with,” Whiteside said. “I love Sam. I love John. I love the whole crew up there at Festival Park. It’s a great way to put our work out into the world. They’ve let us put a little plaque on it this year that says designed and built by Lift-Arc Studios in Roanoke, Virginia. And it feels good to make that.”
The studio operates on a trade system with the festival, exchanging specialized labor for festival access. FloydFest CEO John McBroom and COO Sam Calhoun have worked closely with Whiteside on both the 2025 and 2026 installations.
Growing business shifts focus to sculpture work
The high-profile branding comes during a period of rapid expansion for the local business. Whiteside just hired another full-time fabricator to handle a growing list of custom art commissions.
Lift-Arc Studios relocated to a 3,700-square-foot facility in Roanoke’s Riverdale district two years ago. The site is part of developer Ed Walker’s ongoing mixed-use project to convert the former 9th Street industrial park into a hub for manufacturing and artist studios.
While building standard commercial handrails pays the bills, Whiteside notes that shifting into the fine art world is driven purely by creative interest. Though fabricating specialized architectural rails for houses and schools remains a highly reliable way to keep a fabrication shop profitable, high-end sculpture work has become the ultimate target for the local studio.
The studio has also fabricated custom signage for Noke Fest, including the large arch sign and interactive “NOKE” letters inspired by Virginia’s love signs. Director Kody Reed’s festival concluded its second year along the Roanoke River last month.
Whiteside began attending FloydFest years ago while working with Black Dog Salvage. He said watching the festival grow from a small bluegrass event to a major regional draw inspired his current work.
“We feel lucky to be able to practice our craft in this community, and everybody seems to be supporting us well,” Whiteside said. “Our business is growing, and I’m lucky to be chasing my passion.”
FloydFest 26 runs July 22-26 in Check, Va.
