Thunder in the Valley Festival returning with fireworksDate: 6/13/2023 EASTHAMPTON — The Thunder in the Valley Festival returns to Easthampton for its eighth and potentially grandest iteration yet, kicking off the summer season on Saturday, June 24 for an all-day event filled with music and the return of fireworks.
The concert and fireworks event at Molitoris Farm, located at 95 Park Hill Rd. in Easthampton, celebrates the 4th of July holiday while also focused on raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Advance tickets cost $20 while tickets purchased at the gate will cost $25. Ticket sales will be donated to the charity and children under the age of 16 enter free.
The festival is organized by the approved 501c3 nonprofit organization Unbroken Wings, which has focused on the goal of bringing awareness and raising funds to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospital at Baystate Children’s Hospital. The event is an approved fundraising event of the Children’s Miracle Network.
Unbroken Wings President Mike Perrier told Reminder Publishing the festival has grown over its eight iterations, starting from a dinner to now a day-long music fest with fireworks.
“It just kept progressing and getting bigger and bigger. The community seemed to really enjoy it. We have people coming from outside of New England even, people from all over, it’s fantastic,” Perrier said. “We just love seeing people smile and enjoy the event. Our biggest thing is the bigger the check we can give to the children’s hospital, the happier we are.”
The day of music starts at 11:30 a.m. with local band Cottonwood, followed by Foreigner and Journey tribute band Foreigners Journey at 1:30 p.m., Kenny Chesney tribute band No Shoes Nation at 3:30 p.m., Rolling Stones tribute band The Blushing Brides at 6 p.m., and the last performance for the night is from Def Leppard tribute band Leppard and starts at 8 p.m. Fireworks will start at 9:30 p.m. to close out the night.
“We’re really excited because this year we have some fantastic bands,” Perrier added. “We went all out this year. We wanted to have the best entertainment around, I feel we do.”
The day will once again feature the Children’s Miracle Ride through the Valley prior to the opening of the festival. Bikers Against Child Abuse will escort the motorcycle ride starting at Monty’s Motorsports, located at 1 Arch Rd. in Westfield. Registration opens at 10 a.m. and kick stands go up for the ride to the festival at noon. Joining the ride will cost $20 per person and includes admission to the Thunder in the Valley.
The festival will have vendors of all types, food trucks, beer and wine available to go along with the day of performances. It is open to the public, any money raised goes to charity and the event is rain or shine. Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome. No easy ups are allowed but small beach umbrellas are permitted.
Limited free parking will be available but carpooling from the center of Easthampton is recommended to combat parking issues. There will be an ATM inside.
The event will also feature over 100 raffle prizes that include over 60 gift cards from all types of restaurants, plus gift items from pool rafts to alcohol and gift baskets. Raffle tickets will be available at the gate or at the raffle tent located inside the festival.
Perrier noted the event would not be possible without their numerous sponsors and partners assisting in all aspects of the festival. He added the community support and the money they are able to raise makes a festival like this all the more worth it.
“We appreciate the community and want them to come out and enjoy this,” said Perrier.
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