Parkapalooza 2024 • DStreet Music Foundation's Landmark Music Festival Returns September 8th

When the Dstreet Music Foundation first surfaced  back in 2005 it was armed with admirable vision and multiple missions focused upon strengthening the fabric and expanding the impact and importance of our musical scene here in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Originally conceived by co-founder David Dauer and joined by Ed Kerns and Dennis Beson (both original members in the popular cover band The Sinclairs back in the late ‘80s & early ‘90s) specific goals ranged from  assisting musicians in need due to unexpected illness, to strengthening the importance of musical education in our schools; and of equal importance, expanding the exposure of talented bands and musicians  to rural parts of the region who rarely have an opportunity to experience the transformative power of music to pull a community together.

One of the signature and landmark events they established nearly 20-years ago was an all-day free music festival known as PARKAPALOOZA, which brought together talent, sunshine, and civic  mindedness into a perfect ‘end-of-summer’ celebration on the banks of Sanford Lake.  Through this annual festival Dstreet has been able to successfully sponsor two major programs: The Band Wagon, which takes donated used musical instruments and refurbishes them to allow economically challenged families with talented children to further their musical explorations; and the  Dstreet Musical Scholarship program, which allows talented and musically engaged children to further their education in either college or trade school endeavors.

But the year 2020 dealt a severe blow to Dstreet when they were hit with the double whammy of the Sanford Dam breaking and taking out Sanford Park during the floods, coupled with the Covid pandemic causing them to suspend the festival for two years before bringing it back to Freeland, only to skip it last year in order to reorganize and re-think the best way to evolve this landmark end of summer celebration.

Now with a welcomed influx of new blood and the experience of seasoned veteran Board Members, the stage is being set for PARKAPALOOZA 2024 to bathe the region in good vibrations on Sunday, September 8^th at Saginaw’s Haithco Park, which is located right off I-675 on 2121 Schust Road. 

Sponsored by Garber Chevrolet and running from noon - 8 PM, this free and family oriented celebration will include live music, food trucks, games, and is entirely FREE to the public.  Performing bands will consist of Off Tempo kicking things off at noon, Electric Cocktail at 1 PM, Johnny Guest Trio at 2 PM; Twenty Dollar Dog at 3 PM, Pride & Joy at 4 PM, the Robert Lee Revue at 5 PM, Harmonic Candy at 6 PM, and ADABOY! at 7 PM.

Recently I sat down for a round-table discussion with Dstreet co-founder Ed Kerns and new Board Members Andy Dalton, and Kevin & Laurie Spear to discuss the return of Parkapalooza, and the future of the Dstreet Foundation as it moves close to its 20^th Anniversary of making our community a stronger and more joyous place to live.  

REVIEW:  As an organization Dstreet has been around for nearly two decades and for 16 years Parkapalooza has been its signature event.  Now that you are returning to Haithco Park, why did you stop the festival last year and what can people expect this year in terms of entertainment, activities, and vendors?

Ed Kerns: 2023 was a rebuilding year for Dstreet. We're a small team to begin with, having just eight volunteer board members. Through attrition, people relocating, and some health issues, we lost our Vice President, Treasurer and two Board members, which in addition to the other challenges you mention  made it prudent that our priority focus on getting our own house in order. I'm happy to say, I think we've turned that corner!

It's exciting to be producing Parkapalooza at Haithco Park. This is our first venture into Saginaw County and Haithco is a beautiful place to do it. No question that this show will be focused primarily on the live music, but there will be kids activities and food trucks and a few surprises that we're still working on. There is a degree of 'testing the waters' here, since it is our first time in Saginaw and so much of our board is new, but with the support of our name sponsor, Garber Chevy Saginaw, we look forward to producing a great live show.

Laurie Spear:  The main Parkapalooza event really hasn't happened since the dam failure in 2020.  Between the dam failure and the Covid situation, Parkapalooza on that level has been kind of shelved, with other smaller events in places like Hayes Park being held in an effort to still celebrate local live music in the face of those adversities. 

The goal for this year is to start a new tradition with a more centralized location to bring Parkapalooza to the tri-city area.  In addition to the free live music which will run continuously from noon to 8 pm, we are bringing in food trucks, face painting for kids, and also a cornhole tournament is planned. This event is a process for us, and we are excited to build off of this first time at Haithco park for future events.

Kevin Spear:  I am excited for this event to be held at Haithco Park. I have a personal interest because  I worked with Bill Haithco at Saginaw General Hospital for a number of years before he retired and I was there when the park was named for him and dedicated for his work with the Saginaw County Parks & Recreation Commission.

REVIEW:  An important focus of Dstreet has always centered around its on-going charity work and important programs such as BandWagon, scholarships, and contributions to educational programs such as 'All Music Is Power', so how are these endeavors holding up given the aforementioned challenges D-Street has faced, and are there any new goals or plans in the hopper as the Foundation moves forward over the next year?

Ed Kerns: Dstreet is fortunate that even as we've faced challenges, our treasury has remained healthy and we've been able to support three annual scholarships, and small grants. The BandWagon program in particular has been thriving, thanks in large part to Beth Hausler who heads that committee. Our group is 100% volunteer, so our expenses are low. Couple that with corporate support from people like Garber and donations from events like Band Roulette and we're doing ok. It helps to have Andy Dalton onboard as Treasurer to make sure we're getting fair return on our investments.

One of the goals as we move forward is to further integrate with our local communities. We've helped produce shows recently with Sanford, West Midland Family Center and Chippewa Nature Center all of which serve our mission to help bring live music to diverse audiences. We have a mobile stage sponsored by Jolt Credit Union. Their support allows us to provide staging to other organizations at a very reasonable cost.

Kevin Spear:  For us new board members, this last year has been a learning process. We've learned a lot this year and it's been very rewarding to get Parkapalooza going again, being involved in the scholarship awards process, as well as just the fun we've had attending meetings and learning from the more experienced folks who are involved. BandWagon continues to provide musical instruments to kids in our area who want to learn to play but may not have the means to purchase or have access.

Andy Dalton:  Dstreet continues to support local events such as Band Roulette. We are also becoming more mindful of our investable funds to potentially yield more Scholarship opportunities in the future.

REVIEW: What does Dstreet mean to you as an organization and foundation, and what talents and insights do each of you bring to the table in terms of realizing your goals with Dstreet in addition to tapping into new audiences and supporters?.

Ed Kerns:  My involvement with Dstreet began just prior to the first Parkapalooza in 2005. At that time the organization was a proponent of live local music and had a small online presence. I was looking to produce an event at Sanford Lake Park, where I worked at the time, and was looking for some help. I think we've evolved a great deal since then. Our focus has always been to support local music, but it has matured to include the entire community, not just the music faction. The shows we do throughout the area certainly promote live music, but it is as much a service to the neighborhoods as it is the musicians.  I credit Dennis Beson, who led this group for a number of years, with that change. Speaking of our new board members, Andy, Laurie and Kevin are the reason Dstreet still exists.  We are blessed to have a few of the 'old guard' still with us  but it's vital to have new blood and new ideas to keep any organization alive.

Andy Dalton: Due to my involvement with Dirt Fest, The Fireside Wake, and my daytime role working for a local Wealth Management company, plus the fact my blood is still fairly young, thanks to your recommendation to the Board, Bob, I was recommended as Treasurer.   Music has always been a passion of mine, so being able to be involved at a level unlike my previous experience felt like a good opportunity to learn and grow while also giving back to my community and bolstering young musicians to follow their dreams.

My experience with wealth management and event management puts me in a unique position to maximize the return on our assets, as well as providing decades of experience handling all the interesting issues that can arise while putting on a music festival. And if my involvement can garner me some gigs and new places to play, even better!

Laurie Spear:  I've always been involved in playing music and have always enjoyed helping younger people get started with the music endeavors. Dstreet is just really an extension of that mindset and it's great to be involved with an organization that actively supports live local and young aspiring musicians. 

Kevin Spear:  When I was a kid, I took a musical aptitude test in the 5th grade that was given by the music teachers at my school.  I tested well and I wanted to play in the band. When I announced this at dinner when I got home that evening, it was made clear to me that I may or may not be allowed to do that based on what my chosen instrument might cost to purchase. As it turned out, I had an aunt who had played the cornet in the band during her school years. I was able to use her instrument for the first couple years to get started. I'm quite certain that if that had not happened, I wouldn't have had that opportunity and honestly, I'm also sure that my life would have taken a different direction.  So the Scholarship Program and the BandWagon initiative is really, really important to me. I'm excited for the chance to help kids have a chance to have music in their lives, especially those kids whose families may not have the means to provide. Also, I've really enjoyed helping Ed transport and set up the Dstage for the various events over the last year!

REVIEW:  What has been the most challenging component involved with pulling this year's festival together?

Ed Kerns:  Haithco does have a lot of potential for bringing things like the sand castle competitions back,  and the staff there has been most welcoming. The picnic areas, playgrounds, lake and spray pad will make a beautiful setting. We promise a first class family show with enough selection - music and otherwise - to keep everyone entertained.

Andy Dalton: Ancillary activities are in the works, but I'd say the most challenging aspect to this year's event is the change of venue. When you're set up at the same spot year after year, you're able to get more comfortable and refine things from previous years’ experience. With a brand new venue, you're doing a lot of acclimating, making decisions on the fly, and taking lots of notes for "next year, we'll be sure to do XYZ now that we know this, this, and this about the property.

Laurie & Kevin:  We would say that the biggest challenge has been the kind of "starting over" process associated with relocating to a new venue. Past Parkapalooza events have always been in Sanford and so those relationships that have been built over the years are now no longer available. This is not the fault of Dstreet or the fine folks in Sanford, but the situation with Sanford Lake just is what it is. Having said that, the relationship with Haithco Park has been nothing but positive and we look forward to a really great experience this year.

REVIEW: Was it difficult selecting bands to feature at this year's festival?  I see you have a nice mix of veteran and more established acts, in addition to several newcomers - please tell me about the selection process and line-up and a bit about some of the newer acts you will be featuring.

Ed Kerns: Choosing bands is always a challenge. There is such a diversity of talent in our area. I will say it is very helpful to have board members who are so well connected in the local music scene. It is also humbling and heartwarming that so many gifted musicians are willing to give their talents to Dstreet. As always, all our bands are volunteers.

Andy Dalton:  One of the things we've been very mindful about is having more female representation at this event. It's no secret that the music industry is a largely Male Dominated space. We have a lot of amazingly talented women in our area that deserve to be showcased.

Laurie & Kevin:  For the most part, the musicians this year have a great deal of experience and have been eager to help out and bring their talents to this event. These are all tri-city area musicians that have volunteered their time and are strongly supportive of our local music culture.

Ed Kerns: We've talked about volunteerism frequently here. I would like to take this opportunity to invite anyone who may be interested in helping to reach out to us at Dstreet.org . It isn't necessary that you are a musician, only that you believe, as we do, that music is an essential ingredient in a balanced life and is worth supporting. There is work involved, but it is fun and worthwhile work.

One of the benefits of being such a small organization, is that every vote counts and everyone matters.