P’ville Music Festival a Big Hit as Fans Turn Out for Special Day

Months of exhaustive and meticulous planning along with a big assist from the weather gods combined to make the 2015 Pleasantville Music Festival on Saturday one of the most successful renewals of the annual event.

Thousands of music lovers began streaming into the village’s Parkway Field before noon and kept on arriving throughout the afternoon to listen to and watch 16 bands over nine hours. The Gin Blossoms, G. Love & Special Sauce, Fastball and Marshall Crenshaw were the headliners along with impressive local talent and up-and-coming performers to make what is arguably Pleasantville’s biggest day of the year one to remember.

“This is better than we ever imagined,” said the festival’s Executive Producer Andy Goodman following the conclusion of Fastball’s performance in late afternoon. “People are happy, people are dancing, they’re going to see all of this music. As many people are going to the Chill Tent and the singer/songwriters as (those) going to the rock stuff in the beer garden. It’s amazing.”

To kick off the festival’s second decade, organizers made some changes not only to the on-site setup but how they marketed the event. With competition and costs to entice attractive musical acts escalating, the decision was made to solicit donations from the public starting last winter through a Kickstarter online fundraising campaign in the hopes of bringing in more recognizable talent.

The lineup of bands was released earlier in the spring to try and generate greater excitement. There was also a battle of the bands competition that was held locally over the winter, with the winners earning a chance to perform at the festival.

While the festival in previous years featured three stages — the main stage with the biggest acts, the beer garden stage and another small stage — this year there was a Chill Tent stage, which focused on acoustical music performers. It also provided fans with a place to go to catch some shade. It proved to be one of the most popular areas on the grounds.

The booths and stations in the vendor area behind the bleachers were pulled closer together to give it a more community vibe, said Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer.

The new strategies appeared to have worked. Combined with beautifully warm temperatures under a blue, cloudless sky it was possibly the largest turnout in the festival’s 11-year history, Goodman said, although accurate attendance figures weren’t readily available during the day.

“This is at least equal to what I remember, and the turnout is just unbelievable,” he said.

Patrons, whether they attended for the first time or are festival regulars, had a blast. Chappaqua resident Leah Cohen and her husband, Peter, decided to come for the first time after they saw posters in the area advertising the Gin Blossoms as the headline act.

“It’s beautiful outside today, not a cloud in the sky, a beautiful summer day to listen to some live music,” Cohen said. “It’s really nice to listen to some live music. We don’t have that many opportunities (to do that) in Westchester.”

Margaret Fetzko came from Earleville, N.Y. near Syracuse to visit her brother, Bob, who lives Chappaqua—and made sure that it coincided with the festival. She also brought along several relatives and an exchange student to take in the fun.

Mahopac resident Mike Hanrahan came to the festival with his wife Joanne for the seventh or eighth time. It’s become a must-attend event for the couple when they’re making their summer plans.

“It’s very family oriented, they make it very easy, it’s very professionally run and it’s just a nice day all around,” Hanrahan said why they keep returning. “I feel very safe and (it’s) just a fun event.”

Keeping the festival a family event is a crucial element, said Scherer, who lauded the legion of volunteers and sponsors for helping to make the day a big success. While music festivals can be known for some craziness, he said, families are encouraged to attend.

“It’s got a very Pleasantville vibe, but honestly this feels to me like what Pleasantville is about,” Scherer said. “You’re talking about a place with rock solid small town values but a 21st century vibe.”

The energy during the day was also felt by many of the performers. Tony Scalzo, vocalist and guitarist for Fastball, said the band enjoys playing festivals, which gives them a chance to connect with other bands and musicians. Over the years they’ve played on the same bill as the Gin Blossoms numerous times.

“We’ve established relationships with these guys,” Scalzo said. “It’s still really fun to be a part of the national scene and rub elbows with our peers.”

Goodman, who previously attended the festival and was one of its many volunteers, said he was relieved that the day and the event came off beautifully.

“It takes a long time to put together,” he said. “You organize, you sweat the details, and you get the tight stomach and tight back and when it all comes together like this, I can finally breathe.”