Lock Haven set to “Jam” Friday and Saturday
LOCK HAVEN, PA – Downtown Lock Haven will be alive Friday and Saturday as the Clinton County Arts Council presents the sixth year for Lock Haven JAMS, two days of great music, great art and great food.
“Lock Haven can never be confused for a big city, however we did design LH JAMS to have a block-party atmosphere that is more commonly seen in larger metropolitan music and art festivals,” said Steve Getz, director of the Lock Haven JAMS Festival.
LH JAMS is a free admission event that is volunteer-powered but supported by many organizations, businesses and individuals throughout the community. Getz said, “We always had a multi-mission approach to not only bolster the existing visual and performing arts scene, but also to generate an economic stimulus downtown. We believe an important part of the mission is to create an atmosphere of diversity, bringing not only different kinds of music but different kinds of people to Lock Haven. As a side note, many of the bands who hail from places such as Philly, New York City, and Baltimore that have performed previously at LH JAMS come back to play at other musical events in the area because they simply love Central PA.”
Getz said when the festival started in 2016 many doubted that a festival with a strong jazz influence would be successful. “Even though we evolved into many genres of music, we were encouraged by the overwhelming acceptance of our musical selections. The first time we heard Edgardo Cintron’s Latin Jazz being blasted on Main Street, Larry McKennan’s smooth saxophone tones, or Eddie Severn’s trumpet echoing throughout the city, we realized that music truly is a common language. And it is this special language that not only brings people together, but creates a real appreciation for new and exciting styles of music that they typically would not hear in this area.”
Musical performances will include The Hex Highway Blues Band on Friday. Café y Petróleo (a Latin Jazz Band) will kick of the performances on Saturday followed by The Billy Price Band, the Vince Tampio Jazz Quintet, Co. Townes (an Alternative Country Band) plus a special Motown performance by Philly’s 10 piece York Street Hustle. A complete listing of performances and vendors can be found at lhjams.org
In addition to world-class musical performances, there will also be a variety of juried art, fine craft and food vendors selling items starting at 10 a. m. on Saturday. Vendors include painters, potters, photographers and textile artists. Vendors will also be selling locally crafted condiments and a honey producer with a variety of unique products.
Getz said, “One of the more important segments of the festival is our group of Plein Air artists. Four Plein Air artists will paint right on Main Street throughout the day and serve an important role as LH JAMS ambassadors since visitors are eager to strike up a conversation and learn about their skills and media.” This interaction, he said, not only creates opportunities for visitors to feel welcome and part of the arts, but is essential to enhancing educational aspects of the festival.
City restaurants will have indoor seating but also many will provide outdoor cafe seating in close proximity of the two performance stages. This gives visitors an opportunity to dine while listening to world-class music.
Getz noted this is a rain or shine event so bring a chair and an umbrella. There is plenty of room for social distancing to provide a family-friendly and safe event.
