Modest beginnings: “The very first time we did this, it was really so me and my friends could perform. We rented out a little stage here in Tipp City and put on a show. We had a nice turnout and we really enjoyed that and we raised a little bit of money for charity. At that time, it was very little amount of money but it has continued to grow from there. We decided to try to make it a little bit bigger and invite other bands each year. After that, it was always four to six bands depending on the year and it grew into what it is today.”
Expanding the brand: “I was sort of interested in and acclimated to the Dayton music scene. I got to know some of the guys in the local bands and I was going to see them play. I was really blown away by the amount of talent in the Miami Valley. We saw that as an opportunity to promote these talented musicians and give them another opportunity up here where folks may not be exposed to their music. Most of it, probably 90%, is our love for music but we wanted to raise some money so we could be self-funding. We also didn’t want to be a profit-generating festival so we decided donating money to charity was the logical thing to do when we were fortunate enough to sell enough tickets to generate some funds.”
Supporting area charities: “We’re really proud of the beneficiary: Project Believe. We had them last time and we’re repeating again this year. It’s an organization that really does wonderful, wonderful work for children that have developmental disabilities who are typically in group homes and aren’t even well enough to be in foster care. This organization does wonderful things to make sure these kids have simple things like school supplies and holiday gifts. They try to give these kids a little bit of what it’s like to live normal lives.”
Contact this contributing writer at 937-287-6139 or e-mail at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: The 10th annual Tippapalooza Music Festival with Seth Canan & the Carrier, the Boxcar Suite, Neo American Pioneers and others
Where: Eagles Park, 3853 Hyattsville Road, Tipp City
When: 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4
Cost: Advance tickets are $10, $20 for couples and $40 groups of four. Proceeds from the festival benefit Project Believe
More info: tippapalooza.com
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