The Hamburg Area Arts Alliance will be honoring local musicians during a one day music festival on Saturday, June 23. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy beer, wine and food available for purchase. All day music starting at 1 p.m. ’til dusk, Chinese auction, artisans and more.
This event is being organized by the Alliance to raise recognition for the many Hamburg area musicians who are presently performing, or have performed in the past. The Alliance was formed in 2006 as a subsidiary of the Our Town Foundation, Hamburg’s non-profit Community Development organization, to support and showcase local artists and to advance the awareness of arts in the community.
“When the Alliance members were drafting their action plan and planning their activities for 2018, they wanted to integrate more of the performing arts into their programming, and what better way to do it then to have them all gather for a one day music event,” says Deena Kershner, Executive Director of the Our Town Foundation.
The event will be held rain or shine on State Street Square located at 222 – 228 State Street, beginning at noon and continuing through dusk. There are several bands scheduled as well as solos and duos. Individual musicians who wish to participate but are not currently with a band will be encouraged to jam with others.
“We compiled a list of musicians from the Hamburg Area and tried our best to contact them all; however, we may have missed a few. But if they show up that day, we will try our best to fit them into the schedule as this event is about supporting all the musicians,” says Kershner.
Tentative performers (subject to change) include Johnny Porto and Faith, Moonlite Graham, Randy Hamlin, Somebody’s Circus, Seafoam Green, Generation Gap, Harry Prutzman and Linda, John “Hambone” Bailey and Friends, Jarred Heckart, Tom Vollmer playing with Hayle Sheeler, Keith VanEtten, Dwayne Albright, and Randy Marko.
This is a free admission event with food and alcohol being available for purchase. There will be a few vendor and artist stands as well. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets and spend the day.
Hamburg Hoopla will also be supporting Alexandria Amadoro, a 9-year-old girl that will be hiking the entire Appalachian Trail to raise money for St. Jude Hospital. Alexandria of Hamburg will start her trek in March of 2019 with a hefty goal of raising $3,100,000 for the hospital. When Alexandria was 4-years-old her family received a letter from St. Jude. After seeing the letter, she asked her parents why the child had no hair. When they explained to her what St. Jude does and why the child had no hair, Alexandria began to cry. She ran into her room and came out with her piggy bank wanting to give all her money to them. While extending her piggy bank to her parents, she just kept saying, “help them.”
Since that time Alexandria has told her parents many times, “I will help those children.” She approached them in the summer of 2017 to ask if she could complete a very special hike – one that will see her hike the entire Appalachian Trail in support of the hospital. St. Jude has already set up a fundraising page for Alexandria with 100 percent of all money raised going to the hospital.
Several national corporations are already supporting her endeavor by donating products that she will need during her trek. Local businesses have also been very supportive to date by providing giveaways for the Chinese auction that will take place during Hamburg Hoopla. Some of the local donations include gift cards for eating establishments, gift baskets, jewelry, and a $200 Visa gift card.
For additional information on Alexandria’s journey, visit her website at goalexandriago.org and click the link to be directed to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. You can also click the link on her website to reach her Facebook page, like her, follow her, and most importantly, share her Facebook page so others can follow her journey.
For additional information on Hamburg Hoopla please call the Hamburg Area Arts Alliance at 610-562-3106.
