Onset Rocks rock-and-rolls the Bandshell

Aug 15, 2015

It was a small audience that relaxed in the shade at the beginning of the Onset Rocks Music Festival Saturday afternoon, but Onset Rocks organizer and Onset Bay Association Vice President Kat Jones said she wasn’t concerned.

“I envision it being like a Wednesday night [concert] crowd here, by the end of the day,” Jones said. “For a first-time event, you really just never know what you are going to get for a turnout. I could guess all I want.”

The event at the Onset Bandshell brought five local bands together for a small rock-and-roll festival to benefit the Onset Bay Association. A few vendors scattered the periphery of the event, but the main focus was on the stage, where everyone from The Elvis Experience – an Elvis impersonator – to headliner party band Just Like That, played through the afternoon into evening.

The free event featured several raffles and a donation box, and Jones said any money raised after covering the cost of the festival would go to the OBA.

“That’s ideally why I am here – to raise awareness for the OBA, and get some support, maybe get some members signed up today,” Jones said.

Beyond raising awareness for the local organization, Jones said the objective was to have fun. Concert-goer Dorothy Devitto said she was enjoying the breezy day, and was there to support her stepfather, Scott Longanbach, who was playing that day.

“We thought he was going alone, but now he has a band, so we aren’t really sure what’s going on,” Devitto laughed. “It’s cool!”

Devitto said she hoped for a bigger turnout later in the day.

“Everybody loves this kind of stuff,” Devitto said. “It’s gorgeous. I have to do something. There’s not enough going on nowadays.”