Four-day Savin Rock Festival kicks off Thursday

WEST HAVEN » With its carnival midway set up a week in advance to help raise money to benefit injured police office Mike Doyle, the 35th annual Savin Rock Festival takes over Old Grove Park next weekend, with the Official Blues Brothers Revue — hand-picked by Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi’s wife — as its Saturday night headliner.

The four-day festival, which begins Thursday, is a celebration of the city’s heritage as the longtime home of the old Savin Rock amusement park, which filled the festival area with happiness — and joyful screams — for decades before it closed at the end of the 1966 summer season.

This year’s fest will be the second with a beer garden, organizers said in a release. It also will include games, rides, music and plenty of good food — including the split hot dogs, fried seafood and frozen custard that helped make Savin Rock famous.

Sponsored by the University of New Haven, the festival runs Thursday from 5-9 p.m., Friday from 5-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.

Midway operator Marenna Amusements will offer a family pack of 24 tickets for $20 and bracelets for unlimited rides for $25. Otherwise, tickets cost $1 each. Marenna will premiere a carousel that was recently filmed in New York’s Central Park for an upcoming movie starring Kevin Spacey, the company’s owners, George Marenna Jr. and George Marenna III, said in the release. The festival itself is free.

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The fun begins at 5 p.m. Thursday with the national anthem sung by Caitlin Morrissey.

Thursday’s entertainment includes Eight to the Bar, the popular, long-running swing, boogie-woogie and Motown act, which will perform at 5:10 p.m., followed by ’50s, ’60s and ’70s favorites by The American Longboards at 7 p.m.

On Friday, the 102nd Army Band, composed of members of the Connecticut Army National Guard, will play patriotic music at 5 p.m., followed by The Bronx Wanderers, “a highoctane ’50s, ’60s and ’70s rock ’n’ roll experience,” at 8:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the West Haven High School dance team will perform at 11:45 a.m. followed by teen rock band Tears Fall Down at noon, reggae group Moto at 1 p.m., alternative rock band The Bamboo Treehouse at 2, rhythm and blues group The Nu Groove Band at 3 and crooner Michael Rea at 5.

Rubber City, powered by a horn section in the spirit of bands such as Chicago and Tower of Power, will go on at 6.

At 8:30 p.m., The Official Blues Brothers Revue will do a 90-minute set from the repertoire of The Blues Brothers — most of which actually are older blues, soul, R&B and novelty numbers — including “Soul Man,” “Rubber Biscuit” “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Rawhide,” “Peter Gunn” and “Gimme Some Lovin.’”

While there are a number of Blues Brothers tribute acts out there, The Official Blues Brothers Revue — featuring Kieron Lafferty as “Elwood Blues” and Wayne Catania as “Joliet Jake” — is the only act recruited, produced, authorized and endorsed by Dan Aykroyd and Judy Belushi Pisano, wife of the late John Belushi, said the band’s publicist, David Budge, in an interview.

Paul Shaffer, former leader of David Letterman’s band and current musical director for the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, also was involved in selecting the revue’s members, Budge said.

The revue’s material honors Chicago’s rich history of blues, gospel and soul music, Kieron Lafferty, left, as “Elwood Blues” and Wayne Catania as “Joliet Jake.” he said in a release.

Belushi Pisano said in the release that once Catania and Laffery hit the stage, they essentially become the original characters created by Aykroyd and John Belushi in 1978 when the original act debuted on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.”

“Kieron and Wayne are not imitators; they live the music and embody those characters,” Belushi Pisano said. “They understand the spirit of The Blues Brothers and revel in the joy of being Jake and Elwood.”

If it rains, the Bronx Wanderers and Blues Brothers Revue will play in the West Haven High auditorium, 1 McDonough Plaza.

On Sunday, the Top Hat Dance Academy will perform at noon, followed by Top 40 solo act Jim Crutchfield at 1 p.m., oldies group Vinnie Carr at 2, classic rock band Furious George at 3, Tower of Power tribute group On the Serious Side at 4 and contemporary rock band Soul Jar at 5.

The festival will close with a 6 p.m. concert by The Asberry Boys, which include the four youngest siblings of The Taubl Family Band, which made it to the finals of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” in 2008, followed by Stevie Nicks cover group The Navels at 8 p.m.

“The committee has worked hard to emulate the proud heritage of ‘the Rock’ by booking another showstopping lineup of entertainers in hopes of matching — if not surpassing — last year’s attendance record,” said Mayor Edward M. O’Brien in the release.

A number of civic and fraternal organizations and nonprofit groups will have informational booths set up. The West Haven High School Band Parents will hold a craft fair July 29-31 from noon to 8 p.m.

To help with expenses, the Savin Rock Festival Committee will sell T-shirts and other merchandise in the hospitality tent. It will also charge nonresidents $5 for parking. Organizers said the parking revenue and beer and merchandise sales will support next year’s festival budget.

The beer garden, which is cash only, will pour four craft, domestic and imported draft beers, as well as a hard cider and a wine. It will serve beer Friday from 5-9 p.m., Saturday from 1-9 p.m. and Sunday from 1-7 p.m.

Attendees are reminded that a city ordinance prohibits domestic animals on certain parks, beaches or recreation areas. The fine is $50 per offense.

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