Keeping Music Alive: Renovo’s BUDSTOCK Rocks the Coal Tipple with Free Live Music
By Kevin Rauch
RENOVO – BUDSTOCK, the annual all day free music festival celebrated live music and good times all day last Saturday at the coal tipple on the western end of Renovo. The namesake of local drumming legend Gus “Bud” Hallberg was started by band members of Bud’s various groups and although Bud and many of his era are gone, their spirit continues to be celebrated by local musicians each August.
Current years have seen the Bucktail high school band open the event as was the case Saturday starting at 11AM, while bands played throughout the day included an extended set from concert headliners Unhinged, who rocked the stage for hours into the dark.
Former Bud and the Dynamics member and president of BUDSTOCK Gary Eberhardt and vice president Tim Reeves awarded 2025 Bucktail graduate Martin Lewis (bottom left) a $300 scholarship for Martin’s contributions to the Bucktail band throughout the years. Lewis is currently in his first semester at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and plays in their marching band The Legend.
