NORWICH – For years, the Fourth of July meant flea markets, live music, crafts, food and – of course – fireworks at the Chenango County Fairgrounds. This summer, thanks to a dedicated group of local residents, that tradition will return with the first-ever Fourth of July Music and Balloon Fest.
The newly formed festival – organized by local music fans Debbie Bowers and Rick Stark – will feature live musical performances throughout the day, kicking off at 11 a.m. July 4. Local and regional acts Honeystruck, Jason Wicks, Sundown, The Roundhouse Rockers and the Rochester-based Ruby Shooz have all been tapped for the day’s entertainment, with more groups – and solo acts – to be announced in the coming months. Add to that a flea market, hot-air balloons, craft and food vendors, hot dog eating contest, chicken barbecue, cruise-in and fireworks, and you have a recipe for success, said Bowers.
Following last year’s fireworks-only Fourth of July at the fairgrounds, Bowers and Stark said they were determined to get involved. And while it’s a “big job for such a small group,” Bowers said the decision to do so was an easy one.
Added Bowers, “We both love music and people and we wanted to create a fun, family event for people to enjoy.”
Now, said the pair, all that’s needed are more volunteers – including two people willing to organize the planned cruise-in and a possible kayak race along the Chenango River – and additional sponsors.
According to Stark, the event is one he and Bowers hope to continue in the future.
“Hopefully, this is the first of many,” he added. “We’ve got quite a busy day planned.”
Tickets for the Music and Balloon Fest will be $15 the day of the event and $10 in advance. Those who purchase advance tickets, said Stark, will receive a strange – yet potentially rewarding – ticket stub: a rubber duck. Come July 4, all those who purchased advance tickets will have a shot at a $500 gas card (as well as additional prizes), when the rubber ducks are placed in the Chenango River at the Rexford Street bridge. The person whose duck makes its way to the East Main Street bridge first, said Bowers, will win $500 in free gas.
Advance tickets will be available for purchase at retailers across the county in mid-May, he added.
Those wishing to enter the fairgrounds solely for the fireworks show will be able to do so, with fairground parking available for $5 per car load after 8:30 p.m. For more information or to volunteer, contact Rick Stark at 226-4746 or visit the Music and Balloon Fest Facebook page.