Category: News

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The Sadies to Headline 13th Annual Roots & Rhythm

HONESDALE, PA – Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival is proud to welcome The Sadies as the headliners for this year’s community event on June 16th, 2018.

The Sadies, an alt-country band out of Toronto, combine a punk rock attitude with awe-inspiring beauty and mystery, much like their most recent album cover Northern Passages, which encompasses the full beauty of the Aurora Borealis. The bands quartet is comprised of singer/guitarists Dallas and Travis Good, bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky.

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Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Receives Villaume Grant

Paul Edwards, Villaume Foundation Board Member, Jeremy Watson, Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Board Member, and Jon Villaume, Villaume Foundation Board Member

The Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival is proud and extremely grateful to receive a grant from The John and Helen Villaume Foundation.  The Foundation has supported the free music and arts festival in downtown Honesdale through its charitable giving in past years.

Jeremy Watson, Honesdale Roots & Rhythm board member, received a check for $5,000 from Villaume Foundation board members Paul Edwards and Jon Villaume.

The John and Helen Villaume Foundation established by Honesdale natives, John and Helen Villaume, is dedicated to benefit charitable, religious, scientific, literary and educational programs within Wayne County.

The 2018 music and arts festival will be held on Saturday, June 16.

 

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Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Roots Welcomes New Board Members

Photo: Seated, left to right: Lisa Champeau, Deb Bailey, Gail Bradley. Standing, center: Ruth Dunn, Bonnie Taylor, Kylie Amaztuzzi, Shawn Caden. Back row: Jamie Stunkard, Bill Bellhorn. Jeremy Watson. Missing: Brian Fulp and Cheryl Batcher.

The Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival is pleased to welcome five new members to its Board of Directors: Bonnie Taylor, Jeremy Watson, Kylie Amatuzzi, Cheryl Batcher and Shawn Caden. The incoming group will join returning board members Jamie Stunkard, Randy Kohrs, Ruth Dunn and Bill Bellhorn.

“We are excited to have new ideas on the board,” said Jamie Stunkard, last year’s festival chair, “Each of our new members brings a diverse set of skills and talents.”

Honesdale Roots & Rhythm is the area’s premier free music and arts festival. Founded in 2006, the festival has grown every year and draws more than 6,000 attendees. Its board and committee members are all volunteers. Bonnie Taylor, assistant trust officer with the Wealth Management Department of Wayne Bank, headed up the Raffle Committee last year and is looking forward to expanding the raffle’s offering this year. Jeremy Watson, who works in real estate, and Kylie Amatuzzi, a teacher, are newcomers to the festival but are very enthusiastic.

“I’ve always enjoyed Roots & Rhythm, it’s such a great event for the community,” says Amatuzzi, “I’m honored to be chosen to be involved at the board level.”

Cheryl Batcher, the owner of Camp Umpy’s Bagels and Wash ‘n’ Fold, and Shawn Caden, a musician and music instructor, round out the slate of new members.

Stunkard thanked outgoing members Gail Bradley, Deb Bailey, Brian Fulp and Lisa Champeau who have all pledged to be available to help throughout the year and especially day-of-festival if needed.
Roots & Rhythm is funded through grants, sponsorships and donors. For more information visit honesdalerootsandrhythm.com.

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Roots Board Thanks Retiring Members, Issues Call for New Members

“It’s been a great ride! And I hope it continues with others in the drivers’ seats,” says Gail Bradley, a co-founder of Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival. The festival just concluded its 12th year, and Bradley expects next year will be even better—with others at the helm. Bradley is retiring from the Board, along with Deb Bailey, Brian Fulp and Lisa Champeau. Bailey and Fulp have been with Roots & Rhythm from its humble beginnings in 2006. While Champeau only joined the Board in 2014, she has worked on the media committee since 2008.

“The Roots board is one of the hardest-working—and most fun— I’ve ever been involved with,” says Champeau. “To produce a free-of-charge, green, sustainable music and arts festival year after year that today brings about 6,000 people into Honesdale is nothing short of remarkable.” Champeau had particular praise for Bradley, Bailey and Fulp—who “were there at the beginning, never gave up and expanded the festival’s offerings each year.”

The remaining members of the Board – Jamie Stunkard, Randy Kohrs, Bill Bellhorn and Ruth Dunn—are now looking for board replacements for the outgoing members. “We have many committees – Food, Media, Art, Tunes & Tales—and we hope some of the folks on those committees will be interested in stepping up to the board role,” says Stunkard. “There’s a lot of young, enthusiastic and community-minded talent in Honesdale. Some of them are already invested in Roots. We would encourage them to help the festival evolve to the next level.”

Board members meet throughout the year, although meetings are more frequent closer to the festival, which happens the third Saturday in June. They also attend committee meetings. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the board, send an email explaining your interest and qualifications to ghp@visithonesdalepa.com. All candidates must be nominated by a committee member. The nomination process includes an interview. Nominations are due by September 8.