43
Music unites large, diverse crowd at all-day downtown rock festival
Photo
VEXFEST 6: Justin Carolyne of North Lima plays the guitar as Wake the Lion rocks the Outdoor Stage East.
The event featured 42 bands on four stages playing rock music over 14 hours.
YOUNGSTOWN — Some came alone, others in couples or small groups, but, for Jennifer Bauder, Vexfest 2009 was a family affair.
The New Castle woman brought her three children — Stephanie, 14; Billy, 12; and Dante, 10 — as well as her ex-husband, Frank Call of New Castle, to the sixth annual rock music festival Sunday on West Federal Street in downtown Youngstown.
“We came last year, too,” Bauder said. “The kids had a lot of fun,”
The family arrived about 7:30 p.m. and planned to stay until the event closed at 2 a.m. today, she said.
Both boys have started playing the guitar and wanted to see the musicians, Bauder said.
“I like the music,” Billy said. I especially like looking at how they’re playing the guitar.”
Dante, sporting a spiked and tinted Mohawk hair cut and his face painted like a skull (Thanks to Stephanie’s artistic hand.), said the event was “almost as cool as Eric’s band.”
Eric is Uncle Eric Halfhill of New Castle, whose band, Three Against One,wasn’t playing Vexfest.
The event began at noon and featured 42 bands on four stages (two indoor and two outdoor) in a one-block section of Federal Street that, at any given time, held hundreds, if not more, of music lovers.
Vexfest visitors were coming and going all day.
Lisa Hutch, 26, and Joe Farrow, 24, both of Youngstown, were among the crowd, arriving about 2 p.m. and planing to stay until the show closed.
Lisa, a recent Youngstown State University physical therapist graduate, said the band 5 Elements was one reason she wanted to come.
“I went to high school with those guys,” she said.
It was her third year at Vexfest, she said, explaining that she likes the atmosphere.
“It’s people coming together listening to music,” she said.
Farrow, a mechanic, said he came because of Lisa and loved what he found.
“You see all kinds of people you know. Friends, beer — what’s not to like?” he asked.
“It’s my birthday,” said Tiffany Grate of Ellsworth, who came to Vexfest with her husband, Matthew, and son, Ethan, 4.
Actually, she won’t be 28 for two more days, she admitted, but wanted to come to the rock festival.
“I’m familiar with most of the bands. I like all the bands,” she said.
Ethan, when asked if he liked the music, shook his head “no,” but his mother contradicted him.
“He likes the music. He was headbanging earlier,” she said.
Jackie Camby and Gayle Barnett of Youngstown were perhaps a bit older than the typical Vexfest fan. They may have been shy about revealing their ages, but didn’t lack for enthusiasm.
“It’s downtown Youngstown. We have something going on here. We’re saving our city,” Camby said.
“I’m OK with this. It’s fun,” Barnett said, admitting only, “We’re over 21.”
The two said they came particularly to hear a favorite group, Centrifuge.
“I came because she wanted to come,” Barnett said, nodding toward Camby before they slipped off into the crowd.
gwin@vindy.com