By Kathy Goldman, Guest Reporter
Harmony Hall isn’t the glitzy high-tech Sphere that hosts Dead and Company’s 24-date Dead Forever residency in Las Vegas. However, the Great Lawn of Harmony Hall, with the foothills of the Ramapo Mountains and neighboring Harriman State Park, provided a more appropriate canvas for the earthy music to color.
As the festival Gods blessed “Sloatstock” once again for the third year with good weather, an enthusiastic and responsive crowd gathered on the Great Lawn at Harmony Hall on Sunday, July 28. Together, the over 1,000 festival-goers celebrated their love of the day’s lineup of musicians and The Grateful Dead – one of the 2024 Kennedy Center Honorees selected for a lifetime achievement and commitment to their craft.
A high-quality sound experience delivered by the talented sound engineer Will Orosz truly allowed everyone to enjoy their favorite music and favorite bands. First band was newly rebranded Uncle Shoehorn’s Big Easy with its full band including a 4-piece horn section. The band is led by the incomparable Tony Vee who blends his funky New Orleans sound into traditional Grateful Dead yielding a unique and enjoyable take on the music.
Next up was the high energy, hard driving Dead Meat. The Grateful Dead is not usually identified as a hard rocking band, but Dead Meat managed to put their rocking stamp on the music. Judging from the energy on the dance floor, the band was well received by the crowd.
Closing the show were the seasoned veterans of One Man Gathers (OMG) led by Ray Longchamp who is regarded as one of the top guitarists in the area. They had the difficult task of keeping the energy level up in a crowd that had been dancing in the hot sun all day, yet the crowd responded to the band and brought the day to a close in style.
The good time was evidenced by the number of tie-dyed-clad dancing “bears” in front of the stage. Folks came from all over – Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Wappingers Falls, Tarrytown, Bergen County, and as far as Binghamton, NY, Mount Holly, New Jersey, and Silver Springs, Maryland. The immediate Rockland and Orange Counties were well represented.
Many first-timers expressed their delight in learning about Harmony Hall and this wonderful experience of listening to great music in a safe, welcoming, and comfortable environment. Many expressed their gratitude to everyone who put the festival together and asked to please keep doing it (and more often — once a month from May – October, even!). Festival-goers learned about it from Facebook, a text from a friend, and a lot of last-minute “things to do on a Sunday nearby” decisions to come because of the beautiful weather. Families and extended groups of friends gathered and enjoyed a special get-together with great food and excellent vendors. Many commented on the quality of the vendors’ crafts. Guests partaking in tours of the historic Harmony Hall mansion learned about its history and preservation efforts.
Several guests inquired about the recent loss of our dear friend, board member, historian, and caretaker Geoff Welch. Fond memories were shared by some about “the old man with the wavy hair.” In honor of Geoff, Uncle Shoehorn played “He’s Gone” and Dead Meat played “Ripple”. Since Geoff’s passing on June 15th, the Friends of Harmony Hall board dedicated this year’s music events in his honor. With peace, love and, harmony we bid so many thanks to everyone coming together to make this a memorable and unique event for Friends of Harmony Hall, the Village of Sloatsburg, and the Town of Ramapo.
Special thanks to the Friends’ Events Committee Chair, Kathy Goldman, for her endless energy in organizing this wonderful event, to the volunteers who made the day run smoothly, and to our sponsors, Valley Rock Inn, Greenleaf Printing, and The Town of Ramapo. All proceeds from the event go to our “Not Just a Front Porch Campaign” to restore and preserve the front porch, or as Jacob Sloat would have called it, the Veranda – we are $30,000 away from our goal!
We are looking forward to seeing everyone at The Highlands Bluegrass Festival on Sunday, September 22, 1-5 pm. Tickets go on sale soon on www.FOHH.org.