by Patti Jo Brooks
The Mountain times
Drinks, music, and family fun abound at this year’s Music Fair and Feast, hosted by Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce. Enjoy three fun-filled days of great entertainment, good eats, and lots of family activities – July 11 through 13 in Sandy’s Centennial Plaza. Also known as the Beer Garden, the Music Fair and Feast is actually a complete street fair of its own – and it supports a really great cause. While joining in on the festivities with friends and family, you’ll also be participating in Sandy Area Chamber of Commerce’s one big fundraiser of the year. Now that’s a win-win situation!
Make your way over to 17466 Hoffman Ave. (across from City Hall) where you’ll find the greater part of the Plaza enclosed and set up with a live music stage and participating food vendors. Finca Collective will be serving up fresh street tacos and CeCe’s Gyros from Gresham will tantalize the taste buds with some delicious Greek fare. Columbia Distributing will offer a variety of brews such as Coors Light, Coors Banquet, a local IPA, Hard Cider and Hard Seltzers. Wines and a Vodka Lemonade cocktail will also be in the mix. Non-alcoholic beverages including iced tea and bottled water will be available as well.
The Music Fair and Feast kicks off Thursday, July 11 at 5 pm with Family Night – complete with giveaways for the kids. Admission is free and kids are welcome until closing at 11:30 pm. Since the Plaza’s in the center of town, it’s a great spot to settle in and view the Sandy Mountain Parade, which celebrates the opening of the Sandy Mountain Festival. The parade starts at 7 pm, so there’s plenty of time to grab a beverage and a bite beforehand.
Thursday evening, July 11, when the parade ends, Lip Bomb takes the stage to start off the three-day music line up. Billed as a “high-energy Portland Oregon & SW Washington 70s, 80s, 90s band! + Best Kazooist in the NW!” They’ll provide some lively tunes for Thursday’s Family Night. “It’s so much fun to watch the kids out there dancing. It’s cute,” says Khrys Jones, event organizer for the Music Festival and Feast.
Both Friday and Saturday, beginning at 5 pm, general admission for adults is $12. Kids are welcome in the Beer Garden until 8 pm – after that it’s restricted to ages 21 and over. Reentry stamps are available for those who wish to leave and come back.
Friday, July 12, hours are 5 pm to 12:30 pm with Volume Plan, “Portland ‘s premier alternative rock cover band,” playing from 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Jennifer Batten and Full Steam, a rock and pop cover band featuring Michael Jackson/Jeff Beck tunes, follows from 9 p.m. to midnight. Batten, a renowned guitarist, played with Michael Jackson for 10 years and accompanied him on all three world tours; she also toured and recorded with Jeff Beck. “She’s amazing,” Jones relates. “And she’s also a local, so it’s kind of cool to have her come play for us.”
Saturday, July 13 festivities start at Noon and last until 12:30 pm. Family Day, with games and activities for the kids, goes from Noon-3pm Free Family BINGO (prizes included), will be led by Shay Shay from No Place Saloon, from 2-3 pm. “It’s a blast. She’s hilarious,” says Jones. The day will also feature a photo booth onsite for hours of untold entertainment.
Continuing with Saturday’s music line up, Ra Khan On, a 4-piece reggae band from Vancouver WA, starts off the afternoon playing from 3 pm to 4:45 pm. Chris Carpenter & The Collective, another local band, will deliver their high-energy, professional show from 5:30 pm to 8:15 pm. Oregon’s southern rock band, The Boondock Boys, performs from 9 pm to midnight, bringing the three-day Music Fair and Feast to a close.
VIP Passes are available for purchase through the sandyoregonchamber.org website for $25. A value of up to $40, the pass can be used either Friday or Saturday night and includes VIP Entrance (no waiting in line); three drink tickets; a limited-edition, color-changing souvenir cup sponsored by Geren’s Farm and Landscape; and a 2024 limited-edition sticker.
Presenting Sponsor, Les Schwab Tires invites you to stop by Sandy Les Schwab Tires and pick up your $2 Off Coupon, good towards the Music Fair and Feast Entrance Fee. For a complete list of sponsors and additional information, visit the sandyoregonchamber.org website. Choose the “Calendar” tab and select “Music Fair and Feast.” Sponsors make the Music Fair and Feast possible, so let’s acknowledge them and show our support whenever possible.
Music Fair and Feast overlaps with the Sandy Mountain Festival which hosts the Thursday, July 11 parade, as well as the elite art festival in Meinig Memorial Park, Saturday, July 13 (and again on Sunday, July 14). The park entrance is just about a block from Centennial Plaza, so it’s an easy jaunt to check out what the local artists have to offer. Jones is excited about working together and coordinating with Sandy Mountain Festival’s new president, Lisa Snider. “Lisa’s wonderful!” Jones says, following a recent meeting between the two. Looks like a bright new partnership is in the making and Sandy will be the beneficiary.