Great South Bay Music Fest donating 250 tickets to veterans
The organizers of the Great South Bay Music Festival are donating 250 tickets to seven veterans’ organizations on Long Island.
Founders and lifelong Long Island residents James Faith and Larry Weinberger, along with Patchogue Village Trustee Joseph Keyes, presented the tickets directly to the organizations at Patchogue Village Hall on Wednesday. The groups receiving the tickets included New York State Veterans Home (Stony Brook), Suffolk County Police Veterans Association, United Veterans Beacon House, American Legion, VFW, Suffolk County Department of Veterans Affairs, Paws of War, Active Duty, and Blue Star Families.
“We are able to have concerts and music festivals like Great South Bay because of the sacrifices of those who have served and are still serving,” Faith said in a written statement. “We felt it would be the right thing to do to thank them for their service by inviting these many veterans from all over Long Island to join us for some great entertainment, food, and camaraderie in the land of the free because of the brave.”
Steven Castleton, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army (Ret), said it makes all the difference in the world when people show this type of support for our veterans.
“When veterans who were in the country in the 1960s and 1970s and listened to Yes, The Moody Blues, and Jethro Tull now have a chance to come and enjoy them here, performing in person, it goes a long way towards welcoming them home,” Castleton said in the statement. “I’ve known Larry and Jim for years, and this is not the first nor would it be the last time they have saluted our heroes.”
The Great South Bay Music Festival will celebrate its 16th anniversary this year from Thursday, July 18 through Sunday, July 21. The four-day music and arts festival, presented by Voodoo Ranger, will return to the newly revamped waterfront at Shorefront Park in Patchogue.
The festival will feature over 60 performers on four stages, performing classic and contemporary rock, jam, blues, jazz, Americana, ska, reggae, alternative, and funk genres. Headliners include Joe Bonamassa, Jim Messina, Dark Star Orchestra, Yes – Epics & Classics, featuring Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks, with special guest guitarist, songwriter and voice of The Moody Blues Justin Hayward, Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, and Talking Heads tribute Start Making Sense. Among many others.
Besides donating tickets to veterans, Great South Bay will continue to donate a percentage from every ticket sold to the GSB-Stony Brook Cancer Center Fund. To date, the fest has raised well over $250,000 for the cancer center. Tickets are available to purchase at: www.greatsouthbaymusicfestival.com
