Tie Dye, Music, Family, and Friends — A Great Time at CAC

The Plenty Pepper Band (left to right), Kristian Paradis, Marji Eldreth, Joseph Whitney, Emily Roane, and Christine Walthers, performed at CAC’s Tie Dye Festival last Sunday, July 18.

Herb Mondros and Charlotte Taylor performed last Sunday, July 18, at the Community Arts Center’s 9th Annual Tie Dye Music Festival. Turn to page 7 for more pictures and an exclusive article from the executive director of CAC.

On Sunday, the Community Arts Center hosted its 9th Annual Tie Dye Music Festival — a family-friendly event with free admission. It was the biggest one yet! Even though they had to shift the event to the rain date, there was an excellent turnout. Attendees benefited from the cloudy skies, which kept their sun exposure to a minimum. Four bands performed throughout the afternoon and evening. 

The day started off with a wonderful performance by Simple Gifts, an acoustic duo based in State College who play folk songs from many cultures on a variety of instruments. (They were in residence at the arts center all week leading a ukulele workshop with campers at Summer Spree.) Next up was Herb Mondros, the only musician with the distinction of having performed at every Tie Dye Music Festival to date. Then Philadelphia’s most beloved zydeco band, Zydeco-a-Go-Go, took to the stage with their high energy and well-seasoned sound — and got the crowd dancing. The evening concluded with an impressive performance by Plenty Pepper Steel Drum Band. They presented tight arrangements of Caribbean classics and songs from many other genres, reinterpreted for the steel-pan ensemble. Greg Brady from Studio 1311 was also on hand, running sound and making sure the bands sounded fabulous.

Many attendees tie-dyed their own event t-shirts and other items – at a tie dye station led by the center’s teaching artist, Bob Deane. As always, the event was made possible because of the help provided by the center’s dedicated volunteers. The festival was sponsored by Steve Weiss Music and Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union. This year, the center’s summer programming is also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Throughout the last year and a half, the center has continued to host live music events despite the challenges; its staff and volunteers felt that such events are an important component of community wellness. The center moved its events outside, limited the number of attendees, and made other modifications when necessary for safety. The response from the community was outstanding: all of the center’s live music events saw increased attendance, and the Tie Dye Music Festival was no exception. 

Owen Powell stands in front of his tie dyed shirts.

Peter Eshelman of Zydeco-A-Go-Go.

The center staff and volunteers are looking forward to the fall season of their event series, Friday Night Live. They will be kicking off the season on Friday, September 17, with a special performance by the band Scotty P and the Love From Above from Baltimore. This fall, they will continue to hold the events outdoors when the weather permits, but will move indoors when necessary rather than scheduling rain dates. Information about the full season lineup will be available soon.

Paul Downie is the executive director of the Community Arts Center in Wallingford.

Photos courtesty of CAC.