Shrugging off unseasonably cold and rainy weather, a supportive crowd turned out in force for the second annual Linaca Alumni Music Festival, held on Friday, August 4 at Schooner Landing Restaurant and Marina in Damariscotta.
LA alumni and others with close ties to the school performed jazz, rock, rap, and other genres as the audience listened under the shelter of the Schooner Landing tents. Corey Redonnett, who organized the schedule and venue for the festival, said 25 people performed this year, 23 of whom were LA graduates.
There was an unexpected pause to the festivities when the electricity went out for a short time, but an improvised performance by Jojo Martin, Sam True, and others kept spirits high while the issue was resolved.
The local band The Gulch, composed of Chuck Benton, and LA alumni Ben Chute, Griffin Han-Lalime, Michael Sevon and Redonnett, opened the festival. The band’s high energy performance brought the crowd to life and attracted dancers to the dance floor.
Other performers included the Lincoln Academy 5 O’Clock Combo, featuring recent LA graduates Cooper Swartzentruber, Liam Card, Jojo Martin, Wyatt Stone, Jackson Cromwell, and Cedar Cannon.
“Playing in Linaca was a super cool experience,” said Card. “I didn’t get a chance to take part in it last year, which made playing this year even more fun … Although the weather was not on our side, it was really nice to see people come out to support the music department at LA. Being able to put together events like this is really a testament to the hard work that Jenny Mayher, Heather D’Ippolito, and Hilary Petersen put in.”
Redonnett said this year’s festival raised more than $5,000, funds that will go to support Lincoln Academy’s performing arts program. “I thought it was a vibrant showing of LA,” he said.
Redonnett said he would like to see Linaca expand in the future, adding Schooner Landing is a great venue for the event.
“We like how it goes down at Schooner’s,” he said. “A lot of us play at Schooners for open mic, or have gigs there. Even with the rain, they have tents, and they scheduled extra staff. They are very accommodating to us.”
Looking ahead to future festivals, Redonnett said he hopes to bring in more LA alumni from diverse locations as well as from around Lincoln County.
“It’s great to have people around who want to support LA,” he said.
