An Eagles tribute band is headlining this year’s New Town Music Fest, at which event organizers are hoping to benefit from a formula that has worked well for them in the past.
After the success of last fall’s Journey tribute band concert, the New Town Commercial Association realized the value in booking bands with broad appeal. This led to the decision to go after similar well-known classic rock tribute bands for future events.
“We learned last year that there is such a variety of people who like different music genres in this area that we’re really most successful when we go the tribute band route,” said Scott Grafton, owner of Iron-Bound Gym and member of the NTCA.
7 Bridges, this year’s headliner, hails from Nashville and tour up and down the East Coast. Johnny St. Clair, a local musician with decades of concert experience, will be the opening act.
In addition to picking a band with broad appeal to a variety of different ages groups and musical sensibilities, event organizers also brainstormed ways to improve upon last year’s inaugural Music Fest.
More than 250 people turned out for last year’s concert, but Grafton and other organizers are hopeful this year’s turnout could significantly surpass that.
“Last year we scheduled the show for Fourth of July weekend, thinking that people would be looking for something to do. This year we decided to push it a bit later,” Grafton said.
Pre-sale of tickets already reflect increased enthusiasm compared to the run-up to last year’s event.
In addition to the musical acts there will also be wine, beer and food on site, the latter of which will be provided by Hogarth’s Bar and Bistro, a New Town restaurant known for its pizzas and hoagies.
There will also be corn hold boards set up on the lawn and a snow cone machine on site, the proceeds from which will go to Housing Partnerships Inc.
The Music Fest is a cornerstone of an initiative developed in last year that aims to host four major that draw locals to New Town each year. In addition to Music Fest, Chalk Fest, Summer Fest and Chili Fest round out the events calendar.
The concert will take place in Sullivan Square behind Legacy Hall in New Town. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 online in advance, or $45 for a bundle of four, and can be purchased here. Tickets at the door are $20, or $10 with military I.D.
Model of the Hermione for Sale in Yorktown
Those who missed the Hermione’s visit to Yorktown last month still has an opportunity to see the famous French ship – in a much smaller form.
Norris L. Padgett Jr., of Yorktown, was so inspired by the story of the ship that brought the Marquis de Lafayette to aid the American cause in the Revolutionary War he decided to make his own scale model replica, which is now on display at the Nancy Thomas Gallery in Yorktown.
This was not Padgett’s first foray into model shipbuilding. He has previously completed models of the Chesapeake Bay Skipjack and the Cuttysark, in addition to numerous others. He also has crafted several other nautically-themed replicas, including nautical pulley lamps and historic light house replicas.
Padgett was inspired to take on the Hermione as his next project after extensive research into the ship’s history and original construction materials. It took him more than two months to procure all the necessary materials to make a faithful replica.
At first glance those familiar with the ship that sailed into port last week will notice one major difference: Padgett’s model is unpainted. This detail is true to the original Hermione.
The Hermione model is now on display and available for purchase at the Nancy Thomas Art Gallery.
