BOSK ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO
Preacher Stone, a Southern and classic rock band from North Carolina, is sure to be a crowd favorite at the Southern Rock & Bar-B-Q festival Feb. 23 in Wimauma.
Masonic Park and Youth Camp to host all day, family music festival Feb. 23
By LOIS KINDLE
GAIL GERDES PHOTO
Sarasota-Bradenton’s Kettle of Fish band will perform their special mix of “blues, soul, and funk with the energy of rock ’n’ roll.”
Synchronicity Festivals will present the inaugural Southern Rock & Bar-B-Q festival from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Masonic Park and Youth Camp in Wimauma.
The event is designed with the entire family in mind. It’s a fun way for folks to spend quality time together outdoors while the weather here is postcard perfect.
The lineup of entertainers will include some of the hottest names in Southern rock and blues: Rattlebone, featuring Chris Anderson, formerly of The Outlaws) and Johnny Neel (formerly with The Allman Brothers Band); Preacher Stone; The Curt Towne Band; local favorite Damon Fowler; teenage guitarist Jake Castro (who tours with Hotel California); Kettle of Fish from the Sarasota-Bradenton area; and Whiskey Foxtrot from North Carolina.
Music starts at 11 a.m.
The festival will feature “music; Buttman’s BBQ, Spanish food, hot dogs, burgers and beer; an ice cream bus; vendors; crafts; and a fun kids area,” said organizer Greg Gerdes, a Masonic Park and Youth Camp board member. “It will include a rock-climbing wall, hamster balls and all kinds of hands-on activities.”
Parking and primitive camping are free. Visitors can also enjoy boating or canoeing on the park’s four-acre lake, hiking, horseback riding, hay rides and other activities on more than 200 acres of scenic, natural forests. They are welcome to rent a canoe or boat on site or bring their own. Campers or RVs with generators are also welcome. (All RV spots with hookups are currently booked.)
General admission tickets are $37 per person, if purchased before the event day at www.synchronicityfestivals.com and $50 at the door. Kids 12 and younger get in free. A festival T-shirt is $13 in advance, when purchased with admission, or $20 on event day.
BOSK ENTERTAINMENT PHOTO
Rattlebone’s Chris Anderson and Johnny Neel will headline a stellar lineup of entertainers at the Southern Rock & Bar-B-Q festival Feb. 23 at the Masonic Park and Youth Camp in Wimauma.
“We have a stellar lineup of performers, so the pricing is really a good deal,” Gerdes said. “Net proceeds will be donated to the Masonic Park and Youth Camp and the Shriners Children’s Hospital in Tampa.”
Event sponsors include Pepin Distributing, Alto Construction, F&L Electric and The Vibe Music Store in Apollo Beach.
The festival will be held rain or shine at the Masonic Park and Youth Camp, 18050 U.S. 301 S., Wimauma. For more information, call Gerdes at 813-407-7627.
For information on the park, visit www.masonicparkflorida.com, or call 813-634-1220.
Performance Schedule:
11 a.m. – Whiskey Foxtrot
Noon – Kettle of Fish
1:15 p.m. – Jake Castro
3:00 p.m. – Damon Fowler
4:45 p.m. – Curt Towne Band
6 p.m. – Preacher Stone
7:45 p.m. – Chris Anderson & Rattlebone
9 p.m. – All-star jam
GAIL GERDES PHOTO
The Curt Towne Band will play its own brand of old-time Southern rock during the upcoming Southern Rock & Bar-B-Q festival at the Masonic Park and Youth Camp in Wimauma.
JIM HARTZEL PHOTO
Local favorite Damon Fowler will get the crowd going with his electric blues and blues-rock performance at the inaugural Southern Rock & Bar-B-Q festival.
GAIL GERDES PHOTO
Teenage guitarist Jake Castro, who tours with Hotel California, will be on hand to play his favorite blues, classic rock and rockabilly.
