Rockin’ on the River to roar

Concert schedule announced; Union Town Provisions marks grand opening

Some bands will return and new ones will take the stage when Rockin’ on the River has 18 shows for its fifth summer season at Black River Landing.

Meanwhile, owners of Union Town Provisions, a new cafe on Broadway, reported strong support from the community during the first two weeks open.

And March 1 brought the announcement of the 2019 concert lineup for Rockin’ on the River and the grand opening of Union Town Provisions.

At the Lorain Port Authority office, concert series founder Bob Earley announced this year’s schedule with his trademark boisterous energy.

“Here we go, year number five, we’ve come a long way since that first night when we only had 82 people here,” Earley said. “It’s been just the most incredible relationship ever.”

At the front table, Earley’s nameplate described him as “Lion,” while Lorain Port Authority Executive Tom Brown was identified as “Lion Tamer.”

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The season will open May 24 with The Spazmatics; The Michael Weber Show is the opening act.

“Bob’s done a lot of great things for Lorain,” Brown said. “We’re happy to have his partnership; we’re super excited to tell you about this year’s lineup.”

The season will open May 24 with The Spazmatics; The Michael Weber Show is the opening act.

The closing concert is Sept. 6 with The Prince Experience, with Karri Fedor & Kerosene and special guests Black River.

In between, the bill has some returning favorites and some new acts.

Wish You Were Here - The Sight and Sound of Pink Floyd; Disco Inferno; 7 Bridges - The Ultimate Eagles Experience; and E5C4P3 - The Journey tribute will return.

Newcomers include Face 2 Face, a tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John; Young Guns, A Tribute to the Superstars of Country Music; and Uptown Funk - Tribute to Bruno Mars.

Speaking about what has been and what will come, Earley mentioned food upgrades for the summer.

After that, he and the Lorain Palace Theater will collaborate on shows planned for fall and winter.

The music is not the only thing happening with Lorain, Earley said.

Word is spreading around the region about Speak of the Devil cocktail bar, energy of redevelopment and the academic distress situation with Lorain City Schools.

Earley spoke at length about the nature of the concert business and how it works with interaction among bands, promoters, venues such as casinos, and ticket buyers.

He also praised the relationship with the Lorain Port Authority and the city administration and Lorain Police Department.

“My relationship with the city of Lorain has been, without question, 100 percent above board, and I couldn’t deal with better people,” Earley said. “The board of directors at the Port, exactly the same.”

Earley gave shout-outs to Port Authority board member Carl Nielsen, Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer, Safety-Service Director Dan Given and Councilwoman-at-Large Mary Springowski.

He called for a round of applause for Sylvia DuVall, who attended the press conference on her first day of retirement after 53 years of teaching.

Rockin’ on the River serves alcoholic beverages, but never has fights or safety concerns thanks to the Lorain Police Department, Earley said.

The final show of the year is a fundraiser for the police charitable program that provides toys for children at Christmas, he said.

Brown occasionally wears themed suits and sweaters.

On March 1, he was clad in a blazer and tie printed with the maze layout of the video game Pac-Man.

Earley teased Brown as “the worst dresser I’ve ever seen,” but praised his work with the Port to help the city.

Many of the same local officials present for the Rockin’ on the River announcement traveled from Black River Landing to 422 Broadway, where Union Town Provisions held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate its grand opening.

Since a soft opening Feb. 13, the Lorain community has responded, with residents stopping in to enjoy the food and atmosphere, said owners Shawn Grieves and Tim Scholl, who opened the store with Ritenauer and Lorain County Chamber of Commerce President Tony Gallo.

So far, people seem to think the decor is sort of hip and cool and relaxing, Scholl said.

“There’s been so much support, again, from the people of Lorain, that it’s quite amazing,” he said. “We knew we were taking a little chance, but everything seemed to be coming place, and it really has in a marvelous way.”

The cafe features coffee, sandwiches, salads, desserts and foods such as cured meats and bread to take home.

For Fresh Fish Friday, the eatery has smoked salmon, trout and shrimp.

The cafe now is roasting a dozen chickens a day for sandwich meat, Grieves said, and patrons have responded well to new creations on the menu.

The cafe has begun selling cheese from the Cleveland-based Old Brooklyn Cheese Co. and will get its wine license next week, he said.

Union Town Provisions has six employees and there are requests for the meeting room within the restaurant, Scholl said.

Grieves added he expected the business to draw adults seeking breakfast or lunch, but he was pleasantly surprised at the number of parents bringing children along for meals.

“This is pretty cool, right?” asked the Rev. Alexander Barton, pastor at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer at 647 Reid Ave.

The space is excellent to meet with people and it’s nice to have options, such as Speak of the Devil, all within walking distance from the church, Barton said.

Lorain Port Authority’s Brown and staffers Tiffany McClelland and Kelsey Leyva attended the grand opening.

Earlier this week, Brown said the timing of the Rockin’ on the River announcement and the grand opening was intentional to show everyone there are tie-ins among Rockin’ on the River, Black River Landing, the Ariel on Broadway renovations at the Broadway Building and new businesses and projects coming to downtown Lorain.

The restaurant is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday.

Brunch is served 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.