The Gateway News - 3/9/2011

Streetsboro Family Days wants to take people "Back to the 60's" in a concert at The Kent Stage.

The concert will take place April 10 with shows at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

 Featured will be The Vogues, including original lead singers Bill Burkette and Hugh Geyer; The Outsiders and Climax led by lead singer Sonny Geraci; and Dennis Tuffano, former original lead singer of The Buckinghams.

 The artists will sing some of their biggest hits, including "Precious and Few," "Kind of a Drag," "You're the One," "Don't You Care," "Time Won't Let Me," "Magic Town," "Respectable," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Susan," Five O'Clock World," "Turn Around, Look at Me," "Hey Baby (They're Planin' Our Song)," and "My Special Angel."

Tickets are $25. For information, call 800-595-4859, visit www.kentstage.org or call Chuck Kocisko at 216-905-8031.

Bo Bice to play at Family Days this year. (2010)

Southern rocker Bo Bice will perform as part of this year´s Streetsboro Family Days festival, which will take place from July 29 to Aug. 1.

Bice, whose notoriety spiked during his participation in the 2005 "American Idol" competition when he was runner-up to Carrie Underwood, will play a free show at 8 p.m. July 31 at the Streetsboro City Park for part of the festival´s Saturday entertainment.

Streetsboro Family Days Entertainment Chair Deborah Carothers said she sought out the southern rocker because of his wide appeal to audiences, young and old.

"He´s a perfect fit because of his talent, name recognition and appeal to the general audience," Carothers said, adding that she personally feels Bice is a talented musician. "He´s more than just a contestant in a singing competition, he´s an artist."

Carothers, who has been the festival´s entertainment chair for about five years, said she also had diversity in mind when booking Bice.

"We try to vary the acts," Carothers said, explaining that acts the past few years have ranged from contemporary, to country, to rock ´n roll styles. "We like to keep [festival attendees] guessing and not make it predictable."

"The Real Thing," Bice´s solo debut album, was released in December 2005, and opened at number four on the Billboard 200.

According to www.BoBice.com, the artist´s official fan page, Bice was playing music at age 14 and recorded a few albums prior to "The Real Thing," including one in 1999 called with a group called Purge and one in 2000 called "Recipe for Flavor" with Sugar Money.

Bice´s popularity swelled as he made a slew of television appearances between his time off American Idol and the release of his solo debut. Bice made appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The Tony Danza Show," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "Live with Regis and Kelly," "The Today Show," "The Early Show," and "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" among others.

Bice was presented with a gold record for "The Real Thing" shortly after being dropped by the RCA record label in 2006. He released "See The Light" in 2007 on his own independent record label, which saw less success than his solo debut.

Bice´s third solo album, appropriately dubbed "3," was released in May and is available at Walmart. Bice says his new record has something for everyone and describes the record on his Web site as a mixture of country, southern rock and soul.

"It´s like your favorite pair of jeans, it just fits right," Bice said on his site.

Look for Bice´s show in Streetsboro to showcase his Alabama-rock style with several songs from his new album.

Carothers said she hopes festival-goers will enjoy this year´s music and appreciate the diverse lineup she´s planning.

"My vision for Family Days is to expose the community to a wide range of diverse and talented musicians and musical genres and to have our city of Streetsboro known as a provider of quality, free, national musical entertainment," Carothers said.

Carothers said she is attempting to organize a talent showcase for the festival on July 29 if enough people are interested.

Music, rides, contests and games abound at Streetsboro Family Days

(By Jeff Wheeler - The Gateway News)

The 7th annual Streetsboro Family Days festival will take place from July 30 to August 2 at Streetsboro City Park on Kirby Lane.

The Streetsboro festival has always featured great entertainment for the whole family to enjoy, and this year is no exception, said Streetsboro Family Days President Chuck Kocisko.

If the weather is good, Kocisko said he hopes 8,000 to 10,000 people show up to the festival, which has been the norm for the past few years. Admission to the event is free, but there is a $2 parking fee.

This years festival will kick off July 30 at 4 p.m. with its traditional tribute to the armed forces.

"We will always open the festival with a tribute to our armed forces, as long as our men and women are serving somewhere in the world," said Kocisko. This years opening will be "A Tribute to American Patriotism and First Responders," he added.

A Car and Bike Show will follow the opening ceremony, running from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Cars and bikes must be registered for the competition on the day of the event for a cost of $5.

There will be several awards and trophies handed out for cars and bikes, such as best engine, best overall detail, and best of show.

The event is non-profit, so no organizers will make money on it, said Kocisko. "We do this strictly for the community," said Kocisko.

The event relies on volunteers and sponsors. Kocisko said revenue generated from the festival is used to book the entertainment, pay for everything needed to present the event, and insure all of the volunteers.

"We could never do this without (our) sponsors and volunteers" said Kocisko.

The headlining performer will be Dave Mason on July 31 at 7:30 p.m. Opening for Mason will be The Robert Jeffrey Band and Clevelander Michael Stanley, who will perform one song and introduce Mason.

On Saturday night, Dennis Tufano will perform at 7:30 p.m., followed by Sonny Geraci at 8:30 p.m. Fireworks will follow the concert, starting around 9:30 or 9:45 p.m.

As in years past, Sunday is children´s day, when the first 200 children 10 years old and younger will receive a free wrist band, which will allow them to ride all the rides.

There also will be a Beer Garden, said Kocisko. All alcohol must be purchased and consumed within the beer garden, he said.

Kocisko said he and others decided to put on the first Streetsboro Family Days in 2003, after observing that Streetsboro didn´t offer the community much to do as a family.

"We wanted to put on something for the whole family and have been very successful," he said.

For more information on the Streetsboro Family Days festival, visit www.streetsborofamilydays.org

Streetsboro Family Days prepares for Seventh Festival

(by Jeremy Nobile - The Gateway News)
(by Miles Jung Kilbreath - The Gateway News)

Streetsboro Family Days is preparing for its seventh annual festival at the end of the month, with Rock - N - Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dave Mason headlining with a free concert July 31.

"Everything is going very well and coming together nicely," Family Days Chairman Chuck Kocisko said.

Family Days will run July 30 through August 2 at City Park on Kirby Lane off of 303 with between 8,000 to 9,000 people expected to attend during the four-day festival, according to Kocisko.

Kocisko said around 9,000 people attended last year´s festival headlined by American Idol contestant Bucky Covington.

Highlights of the festival include a concert by former Traffic member Mason, best known for the songs "Feelin´ Alright?" "Hole in my Shoe" and "WE Just Disagree," on July 31.

Entertainment Coordinator Debbie Carothers said that Mason coming to Streetsboro shows how the music industry has become "very respectful" of Family Days, which is unique to have in a local community.

"Mason is one of the most respected people in the music industry. He has played  with Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix and Michael Jackson. He is an example of excellence in music," Carothers said.

Carothers said local musician and celebrity Michael Stanley will emcee the evening, which will include singing an acoustic song and signing autographs. She said that Stanley being at the festival also shows the recognition they are receiving.

On August 1, Sonny Geraci, former lead singer of The Outsiders, will also give a free concert at 8:30 p.m., followed by fireworks at around 9:45 p.m., according to Kocisko.

Among the new events this year that Kocisko said he was excited about is a clothing and food drive with donations going to Portage County Family Services. He said that by speaking with people, he found that summer is normally a hard time to get people to donate to the families in need and wanted Family Days to try and help.

"It´s the right time for us to get involved. It´s all about helping people," Kocisko said.

Kocisko Said he is still working on putting the drive together, but there is a possibility it may not occur this year.

Also new this year, Kocisko said that B.A.R.C., The Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care, will have a law enforcement demonstration August 1 to show how K-9 Officers are used in the field. With the city now having a K-9 Officer, Kocisko said he thought it would be a good opportunity to show off what the dogs can do for residents.

One concern Kocisko has is the road work being done on Annalane Drive, which could limit parking at the site of the festival. He said, however, that he has been told by school officials that the streets should be opened by July 30.

The Family Days Car and Bike Show will return on July 30 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., according to Kocisko, with trophies for winning cars and bikes in a number of catagories. Registration is $5 per vehicle, but it is free to attend for spectators.

Rib Festival a "Wonderful Success"

Letter of Thanks, The Gateway News

This year, Streetsboro was the city that kicked off the rib festival season in Ohio. I am happy to report that, despite a bare bones budget, the First Annual Streetsboro National Rib Festival was a wonderful success.

Streetsboro Family Days Inc., the same non-profit corporation that puts on Streetsboro Family Days every year, organized the event.

I would like to thank all the festival organizers and workers for their efforts. A special thanks goes out to our main sponsor, Giant Eagle. Thanks also to the Coral Corp., Market Square, and the Gateway News.

The national rib chefs who participated this year said they were very pleased with the turn-out, and they see a lot of potential in our festival. That says alot because these award winning rib festival experts speak from many years of experience, have attended countless festivals around the country. They want to return next year; we want them back; and that means we have a good thing going here in Streetsboro.

The sucess of Streetsboro Family Days, the Streetsboro Car Cruise-Ins, and the rib festival shows that Streetsboro is a city of people who appreciate and support opportunities to gather together as a community and have a good time. See you at Streetsboro Family Days in July!
Chuck Kocisko,
President, Streetsboro Family Days Inc.