A candid interview with Tom Ossa, Co-founder of the 8th annual Stony Music Fest this Saturday, June 25th from noon to 8 pm at Riverfront Park in Stony Point.
By Irene Gutmann
New City, NY – Eight years ago, local business owner Tom Ossa was hanging out in Charles C. Eccher Park, jamming with a few of his friends on an old drum set and a few guitars.
After the hazy summer day ended, and the friends parted company to return to their homes, Mr. Ossa began to envision something larger for the following year: Make an annual festival that showcase a variety of local performing artists – and touch people’s lives with music.
This Saturday June 25, the 8th annual Stony Music Fest will be held at Riverfront Park in Stony Point. Six bands are scheduled to play again this year, as well as a recently added drum circle performance. Proceeds this year will be donated to Habitat for Humanity Rockland, as well as to pay for the performing artists and supporting staff.
Since 2020, ticketholders enjoy a majestic view of the Hudson River at Riverfront Park for the performance. Select vendors and food have been slowly added to the annual festivities – and this year, several establishments have added local afterparties for ticketholders.
This final new component – retailer participation – is part of Ossa’s long-term, multiyear plan to further cement Rockland County as a music and arts destination for regional tourists.
“It’s almost too obvious,” he stated with a slight grin. “The name of the county – phonetically pronounced…is Rock Land. Not much that marketing really has to change there.”
When asked to expand on the concept, Ossa stated, “I think that this place can serve as a ‘Nashville East’, or whatever you want to call it. But no need to fly to Tennesse, or New Orleans, or Los Angeles to experience it. We can support all types of music in this area. There should be no limit to the genres that can play in festivals like these. And that’s how we fill our events each year, with a variety of artists.”
There is an economic case to support his theory.
In 2015 (the same year the first event was held in Stony Point), the World Intellectual Property Organization published a detailed report on how cities can benefit from including a music-oriented brand in communications to local and regional neighborhoods:
“In 2014, the city welcomed over 13 million visitors who contributed more than USD5 billion in revenues and supported 50,000 jobs. The city’s music note logo appears on buildings, souvenirs and promotional materials, and its tourist website, visitmusiccity.com, features a radio station with local artists and a wayfinding app for the public to connect with the live music scene.”
Source: World Intellectual Property Organization
“If you look at tourism centers that thrive across the US, most of them have a strong arts and entertainment community,” Ossa said. “The visitors who come to this area will patronize the local restaurants and establishments, who pay a proportion of taxes, which subsequently reduces some of the net burden for local residents.”
There are even more people who benefit. “Our 34 sponsors will get visibility with both residents and tourists that buy their products,” he said. “The County of Rockland is supporting the hosting organization – North Rockland Chamber of Commerce to heavily promote the event – advertisers, print media specialists, videographers, graphic designers, news agencies, and more. We’re starting to create a local music scene around this. But if we continue the effort for what we have planned – it can turn into a music econony, along with job creation and support from residents of Rockland County.”
Band and stage sponsors for this year include St. Thomas Acquinas College, Emerald Retirement, FJ DeToma Construction, Modern Financial, Portables Unlimited Inc., Dana Pest Control, Hauser Bros., Yaboo Fence and 25 other small businesses who believe in, and have donated to the effort.
“In short, you can enhance any local economy, by adding in the element of music.” said Ossa. “The best part of it is that the talent is in your own backyard. We have so many amazing artists in Rockland. Why do we need to travel to New York City, deal with traffic, gas prices and parking – when we can Uber or drive to the park this weekend, and have an awesome time?”
The event committee brings in two to three new acts per year. Several of the artists this year have performed here before, and artists such as the Frank Ocasio Brother Band has been performing from the beginning.
“This one is going to be special. Frank’s birthday is on the day of the festival – and since he’s been with us since pretty much the beginning of this idea, we want to do something special for him. We’ll have a few surprises, and then there’s the afterparty, so…yeah it’s gonna be pretty cool.”
When asked more about the afterparties: “There’s two places thus far that are doing something after the event ends. Playa Cancun is going to have dinner specials for ticketholders that drop by, and Halligan’s Public House is going to announce drink specials for the ticketholders.
Ossa recommended that ticketholders bring a lawn chair, and a cooler. “Listen to amazing bands while you gaze at the beautiful view of the Hudson River – and munch on some good food.”
Refreshments and food will be available via:
- Big Daddy’s Home Plate Barbecue
- Rockland Kettle Corn Truck
- Rock’s Kitchen – Smoothies
- Snacks and Water from the North Rockland Chamber of Commerce
“The musicians performing on Saturday have so much heart and want to connect to people with their music. It take a lot of courage to put yourself on the line like that but they are passionate and talented. Like all art, we each get a different experience or meaning, but we are all touched by it,” Ossa said. “It evokes similar emotions.” There’s an intimacy of connection that people feel but don’t often talk about. There is also a connection between art and community.”
When asked what this effort to bring music closer to the brand of Rockland County means personally to Ossa, he said, “I think of it as a life’s calling. If there was anything I’d like to leave behind, it would be to create a vibrant tourism economy in Rockland County, one that supports the amazingly talented musicians that we have right here.”
Tickets are available at the Stony Music Fest website.