Enjoying a traditional annual event is nice, but starting one is whole other ball game.
Every year, Milford’s Joe DeStefano and his wife Lori would make a trip across the sound on their boat “Wicked Naughty” to a music festival. “Every year in Northport, Long Island, they have a concert at their lighthouse. One year the lighthouse was under construction, so they did not have the event. Then I thought, ‘Maybe we could have one here.’”
The inaugural Charles Island Music Festival in 2016 was small, but it worked. “We got a guy to come out with a guitar and an amp; we had about 20 boats rafted up and it was a good time.”
The next year kicked it up a notch. “We had a two-person acoustical band on a pontoon boat,” DeStefano recounts. “We had about just over 100 boats enjoying the music.” But what about next year? he thought.
2019 he took it to a whole new level. DeStefano formed a committee and reached out to companies to sponsor the event. “Last year, our third, we made it a little bigger and better. Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc. in Branford (a 175-year-old marine construction company) graciously donated a barge to use as a stage and will be donating it again this year. It allows us to get a bunch of bands.”
“For the 2nd Annual Fest, we made t-shirts and sold all of them. We donated the $750 we raised to Yale Children’s Hospital. Last year we were able to donate $2,500. This year we would like to double that. The Children’s Hospital was chosen because our son had multiple surgeries with the Children’s Hospital in Boston, and we wanted to donate to someone local,” DeStefano explains.
Last summer about 250 boats, along with their floats, were on hand to enjoy the music. Kim Buda has attended all three Fests. “It was a beautiful day on the water. So much fun to raft up to other boats, listen to great music and float around enjoying a cocktail! I love that they sold t-shirts and koozies with all proceeds benefitting the Yale Children’s Hospital. I see people wearing them around and they all say what a great event it was.” Buda says, “I am very excited that the Rum Runners will be playing this year’s event. They are a fun, entertaining band with an amazing group of followers.”
Doug Edo, a member of the Rum Runners, attended last year’s Fest for the first time. “We floated on tubes tied off to the boat, fired up the grill, and ate everything you would at a backyard BBQ. All the time live music was being performed by so many amazing people on the barge.” Edo recalls “Everyone was asking how about the Rum Runners’s. Of course, we want to play! And it is also a fundraiser for Yale Children’s Hospital, so it’s a no brainer.”
The 4th Annual Charles Island Music Festival will take place on August 1st from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, with a rain date of August 2nd. “We are excited to feature The Rum Runners this year. Doug Edo had a few suggestions to improve some of the technical glitches we experienced last year,” says DeStefano. “Everyone can expect some good music, fun in the sun, and great times with good friends. We are working to meet our goal of donating $5,000. Hope to see you on the water!”
For more information visit the Charles Island Music Festival Facebook page.
– Susan Carroll Dwyer
