SATURDAY'S SEA CLIFF PALOOZA - A CELEBRATION OF LOCAL TALENT AND THE VILLAGE BEACH
KingFisher at the 2013 Sea Cliff Palooza
July 1, 2014 -- On Saturday July 5, the Sea Cliff shoreline will swing and sway to the sounds of the area's musical talent during the 4th annual Sea Cliff Palooza. The festival, sponsored by the Sea Cliff Beach Committee, is not only a celebration of local musicians and bands of all ages, but also of the beach that is considered by many to be the center of village life during the summer months.
Palooza along with the Pub Crawl in February are the two biggest Beach Committee fundraisers of the year, and proceeds from these events have gone towards not only maintaining, but also greatly enhancing Sea Cliff Beach.
Beach Committee member Justin DiPietro explained that the hard work and generosity of many have gone towards putting together this year's event. "It's a real team effort with the Village, local business, and volunteers making it all happen," he said. Village Board Trustee and Beach liaison Carol Vogt has been instrumental in coordinating the Village's role with the Beach Committee's efforts, and as in the past, the beach staff and lifeguards, as well as the Department of Public Works will put in an extremely long day on Saturday.
Additionally, businesses, both local and from afar, have contributed greatly, with the Oyster Bay Brewing Company and Sam Adams donating beer, Glen Cove Beer storing the kegs and continually making ice available, and Elite Tents donating the tents and slush puppy machines. The Beach Cafe, which will offer its full menu, will contribute a percentage of its proceeds to the Beach Committee. Also, many many area businesses have donated gift baskets, gift certificates, goods, and services for the raffle.
The music will begin at 11 am, with youth bands and musicians, who under the tutelage of Sea Cliff music instructor extraordinaire Frank Ferrara have developed and honed their talents, performing until 12:45, followed by youth band Steady Archer. In addition, there will be an assortment of children's attractions including face painting, tie dying and slush puppies until 2 o'clock. Musical performances will continue through 11 pm with Bad Mary closing out the concert. (see full schedule to the right) Although the first "official" Palooza took place in 2011, the festival's origins go back several years. In 2006 when Sea Cliff resident and musician Sue Giordano began organizing the Friday night Sea Cliff Concert series, it became clear that using the Beach Pavilion's concrete patio in front of the showers as a stage presented serious problems. Ms. Giordano explained that plumbers actually had to come before each performance to turn off the water to make the showers inoperable. In 2010, the Beach Committee along with local band the Patio Daddy-o's organized a benefit concert to raise funds for the construction of a permanent covered stage at the north end of the beach. That benefit concert, now Sea Cliff Palooza, has grown larger each year, and at last year's event, the Permanent Performance Pavilion officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony. That stage, now with a fantastic sound system also paid for with funds raised from Palooza, has supported numerous concerts and other acts such as last year's Sea Cliff Silly Shakespeare Company's musical spoof "The Real Housewives of Henry the VIII."
In addition to Mr. DiPietro, the Sea Cliff Beach Committee, which is always looking for new members, includes Michelle Capobianco, Jenna DiPietro, Joady Feiner, Craig Geurin, Debbie Groom, Daria Mazzeo, Elaine Neice, and Joan Accolla.
Admission to Sea Cliff Palooza is $10 and all proceeds from t-shirt and beer sales will go to the Sea Cliff Beach Committee in support of the upkeep and enhancement of the beach.
See you at Palooza on Saturday. The weather and the music are expected to be ideal.
SEA CLIFF PALOOZA 2014 LINE-UP
11am - 12:45pm - Youth Bands under the direction of Frank Ferarra 1:15 pm - Steady Archer 2 pm - Mercer Shavelson (Jazz Band) 3 pm - Mac Ayres 4 pm - Brady Brothers 5 pm - Lisa Vetrone 6 pm - Dave Diamond Band 7 pm - Matt Pinto Band 8 pm - Lazy Dogs 9 pm - KingFisher 10 pm - Bad Mary