by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Although it’s still four months away, the gears are fast in motion for Joetown Rocks, St. Joseph’s music bash that kicks off the Fourth of July festivities in the city.
For more than 10 years, Joetown Rocks has been organized by St. Joseph resident Richard Schwegel, who is doing it again. He said it’s a lot of work, but it’s rewarding.
“It’s fun,” Schwegel said. “Where else can you go to have this kind of fun?”
The concert will start at 6 p.m. Sunday, July 3 with The Graduates, a band comprised mostly of high-school kids and also featuring 14-year-old drummer Bennet Velline, who is the grandson of music legend Bobby Vee.
Vee was the star performer almost every year of Joetown Rocks.
“Vee loved playing here in St. Joseph,” Schwegel said. “Those concerts were just magic.”
The second band of the evening will be Crown Jewels, which is a Queen tribute band from the Twin Cities. Next up will be “I Am, He Said,” a salute to the music of Neil Diamond, featuring Bobby Vee’s two sons, Jeff and Tommy Velline, and his nephew Matt Velline.
At 10:15 p.m., the fireworks will start in the sky just above the old Kennedy Elementary School. And then, to cap the evening’s music fest, Maiden Dixie, a country band from the Twin Cities, will perform.
“Each year we have a good line-up,” Schwegel said. “This year it’s the best we’ve had because there will be something for everybody – rock ‘n’ roll for younger kids; Neil Diamond songs for the older people. It’s going to be fun for everybody.”
Each year, Joetown Rocks has attracted up to 20,000 people from far and wide.
“The show is family friendly,” Schwegel said, “and that’s one reason Bobby Vee became so involved in it.”
More information about Joetown Rocks and all of the activities during the St. Joseph Parish Fourth of July Festival will be announced as the event gets closer.
