Fest of All promises more for children this year
Date: 6/26/2012
June 27, 2012By G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.comCHICOPEE — This year's Fest of All will have a greater emphasis on entertainment and activity for children and the best line-up of musical acts in the annual celebration's history, according to its chair, Dan Woodill.
The four-day event will begin on June 28 and end on July 1 at Szot Park.
Woodill told
Reminder Publications the committee has added more games for children as well as a bike pageant and a fishing derby.
He also said the committee made an effort to bring in as many bands as they could.
"We tried to get sponsors for bigger, better bands," he said.
The musical acts include Cottonwood, Trailer Trash, The FOO, Triple XXX, Unforgettable Fire and The B Street Band, among others.
The featured bands include Brian Chicoine & The Truck Stop Troubadours, winners of the Valley Advocate Readers Poll for Best Country Band; the Billy Joel tribute band Big Shot; and collegiate favorite Darik and the Fun Bags.
There will be more than 20 food vendors offering a wide variety of dishes, Woodill added.
As in the past, there is no admission or parking charge.
Woodill emphasized that Fest-of-All couldn't happen without the generosity of the sponsors and the efforts of the volunteers.
Among those sponsors are the city of Chicopee, First American Insurance, Chicopee Electric Light Department, Chicopee Savings Bank, The Valley Advocate, Joseph Cebula Corp., Charter Communications, Chicopee Electronics, Labrie & Pouliot, Burgess, Schultz, & Robb PC, Chucks Auto Body and Towing, Dufault, Van & Co, Peoples Bank, Interstate Towing, CBS3, Masslive, Don Roy's Auto Body and Appearance Center, Waste Management, Diamond RV Center, Chicopee Chamber, Health New England and Rock 102.
The following is a schedule of some of the daily highlights:
June 28 The festival opens at 4 p.m. and The FOO, a Foo Fighters tribute band, will perform under the main tent from 4 to 6 p.m. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., Darik and the Fun Bags, as seen on VH1 Cover Band Wars, will perform.
June 29 Triple XXX will play for the after work crowd from 4 to 6 p.m. and headlining Friday night will be Unforgettable Fire, which will recreate a U2 concert.
June 30 The day will begin with the Road Race & Walk with sign-ups from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. and the race starting at 10 a.m.
The B Street Band will perform from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. The annual Kid's Junior Karaoke Challenge Finals will begin at 2 p.m. featuring the finalists are from a pre-qualifier that was conducted at the Chicopee High School
The Fest will continue with more live entertainment at 5 p.m. with Cottonwood and Trailer Trash. The fireworks display light up the sky at 9 p.m.
July 1 The annual Car Show & Poker Run to benefit the Shriner's Hospital for Children in Springfield begins registration in the morning. There are two new events this year both for kids ages 10 and younger: a Kids Bike Pageant around Szot Park and a Youth Fishing Derby hosted and sponsored by City Clerk Keith Rattell and the Rattell Family at Szot Park's Bemis Pond. Registration is from 10 to 11 a.m.
Music will begin at 10:30 a.m. with Brian Chicoine & The Truck Stop Troubadours with The Varlets.
From 2 to 4 p.m. is Big Shot and closing out the 2012 Fest of All will be Casanova Fix playing the top hits from the 80's and 90's.
