The glory days of 35″ Mudder and Mr. Plow playing to sold-out crowds might be gone, but the local music scene in Ames is far from dead.

On Sunday, 16 local bands will join forces for Togetherfest III, an all-day music festival intended to promote unity and provide exposure for the Ames local scene. For only $3, fans of all ages will have the chance to experience more than 12 hours of the best that Ames music has to offer.

“People are always talking about that there’s nothing to do, but this is the chance for everybody to come out and really get behind the local music scene,” says event organizer Justin Means. “You’re getting — not everybody — but a pretty good chunk of the entire local music scene, all in one day.”

It’s been nearly four years since the last Togetherfest was held, but the spirit and meaning behind the festival lives on. Whereas the first two events were held outdoors, this year’s all-ages show is being held at People’s Bar & Grill, 2430 Lincoln Way, with alcohol available for those old enough downstairs at Lumpy’s.

Even though this event was originally intended to be held outdoors as well, plans had to be changed due to weather and budget constraints. Means says the support that People’s has shown makes up for the venue change.

“Tom [Zmolek, People’s owner] has always been a big help for live music and the local music scene,” Means says. “Letting me come in and do this thing all day and all night, and for their staff having to come in on a Sunday, is asking quite a bit, but I’m really happy about how all of this is working out.”

Means says another big difference between this concert and the last two will be the lack of a headlining act, a decision that he jokingly says is based on past Togetherfest experiences.

“At the first one, 35″ Mudder headlined, and at the second one, Medulla Oblongata headlined. Both of those bands aren’t together anymore,” Means says. “I decided we weren’t going to have a headliner, and we just drew names out of a hat. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s career.”

Besides his involvement with Togetherfest, Means has become somewhat of a local legend in the Ames music scene. After moving here seven years ago with hopes of finishing college, he soon decided that his future was in music. Since then, he has gone on to become a promoter for many bands, both in Ames and across the country.

“I was in a band years ago, but when the band broke up, I was like, ‘Well, now what am I going to do?,'” Means says. “That’s when I started managing bands.”

When he’s not occupied with band promotion and setting up Tuesday-night shows at People’s, Means stays busy as a bartender, a manager at West Street Deli, 2810 West St., and as the owner of his own recycling company, Second Generation Recycling.

“I start at 8 o’clock in the morning, and usually finish at about 8 or 9 o’clock at night, and then I go home and do phone calls and check messages, seven days a week,” Means says. “It’s continual, with booking my bands and all of the other stuff. But it’s fun.”

In addition to his already hectic schedule, Means has recently opened a new live music venue at Bali Satay House, 2424 Lincoln Way. Known as the After Hours Caf‚, the all-ages club will feature live bands on Thursday and Friday evenings, many of whom will performing at Togetherfest.

Fortunately, Means’ efforts towards building a strong music scene in Ames have not gone unnoticed. Several of the bands that will be playing at Togetherfest have worked with Means in booking other shows, and could not be happier with all of the support that he has given them.

“We kind of have a nickname for Justin,” says Nectar bassist Laurence Woodruff. “We call him ‘Justin Means Well,’ because he works really hard to get the music scene invigorated, and we really appreciate that. The more shows that are available to local musicians, the more the community will go to those shows, and everyone will be able to enjoy the music.”

Twistin’ Trees keyboardist Chad Jacobsen could not agree more.

“[Means] is giving a lot of bands a chance to play in a great venue, and he really tries to help everybody. He’s a genuinely nice guy, and you don’t see that a whole lot in the music industry.”

Jacobsen says this impartial attitude toward the entire music community is the key ingredient necessary to make Togetherfest a success.

“The thing that I really love about Togetherfest is the fact that everybody is involved,” Jacobsen says. “It’s a chance for new bands and established bands — and just local music in general — to really come out and shine.”

With a lineup that varies from alternative to metal, and even ventures into jam-band territory, Jacobsen is confident that this Togetherfest will keep the fans on their toes for the entire event.

“We play a different style of music than what most people are used to, but it’s still good music,” Jacobsen says. “I hope that if there’s a punk act or a hard rock act right before or after us, they’ll look at us and say, ‘Hey, that’s some cool stuff,’ and there’s a good chance that some of our fans will also be exposed to some really great acts, and I think that’s the big thing.”

For Hog Mallet vocalist and guitarist Michael Bosworth, the opportunity to play Togetherfest is more than just a chance to interact with other local acts. By distributing free burned CDs of its songs to the audience, Bosworth hopes that his band can make a bigger name for itself.

“All we really want to do is share our music,” Bosworth says. “We don’t really have any money to do a full-length album yet, so we’re just recording out of our basement and giving it away.”

Hog Mallet’s grass-roots approach toward music seems to be a fairly common situation for a lot of local bands. Means says the purpose of Togetherfest is to help out bands that are trying to make names for themselves.

“Each one of these acts is going to want to show off and do their best, but it’s not a battle of the bands,” Means says. “Togetherfest is about bringing all of the local bands together. The only way we can build a local music scene is if these bands get behind each other.”

While the 16 bands prepare for the big show on Sunday, Means says he plans to spend most of the day on the audience side of the stage.

“I’m excited to see each one of these guys,” Means says. “I book them, but I don’t get a chance to go to all of the shows.”

With so many bands playing in the festival, Means says he made it clear to each band that they should be prepared to give a great performance in a fairly limited amount of time.

“I told them from the beginning that they would have 30 to 35 minutes, and to get that 35-minute set polished to perfection,” Means says. “I think they’ll all give the audience 35 minutes of the best stuff they’ve ever seen, and then get off the stage and leave them wanting more.”

For Parallex bassist Corwin Colebrooke, that is exactly what his band is prepared to do.

“Each band is supposed to get 50 minutes, but that includes set-up and tear-down time,” Colebrooke says. “Hopefully we can get exposure to more people in that time, especially since this will be our last all-ages show of this semester.”

The success that Togetherfest could bring seems to be on the minds of many of these local acts, but for Means, his biggest accomplishment lies in knowing that he helped to bring everyone together.

“I’m not in this for the money,” Means says. “To see people play and get up on stage is the biggest thrill for me. When the guys get up there and say ‘thanks for getting us here, Justin,’ that’s the best payment for me — just to feel like I helped make it possible.”