Parrotheads to Flock to Lake George for First Fins Up LG
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. >> A threeday celebration of the troprock music of Jimmy Buffet, and the laid-back culture that’s embraced it, is coming to Lake George on Father’s Day Weekend 2020.
Called Fins Up LG and produced by Dave Ehmann, who created the Adirondack Independence Music Festival, the festival will feature more than 15 bands on two stages, playing continuously from June 19 through June 21 at the Charles R. Wood Park’s Festival Commons.
“It’s a stellar line up of trop-rock bands, most notably, Jimmy and the Parrots. That’s not a Jimmy Buffet tribute band, though it plays a lot of the same music. We do have Buffet tribute acts, including the best known of these, the
Caribbean Chillers, as well as some incredible zydeco, surf guitar, Cajun and country acts,” Ehmann said in a press release.
“We won’t have three days of the same sound,” he continued, “but it’s all upbeat, it’s all light-hearted. It’s all in the spirit of having fun.”
The event is sanctioned by “Parrothead” clubs, a loosely-knit confederation of tropic-garbed, sunset worshipping would-be pirates and beachcombers who “party with a purpose.”
The purpose of the party in Lake George will be to raise funds for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, said one of the event’s organizers, lawyer and town judge Mike Stafford.
“Without an event like this, there’s little to attract visitors and attention to Lake George on that weekend,” said Stafford, who with his wife Nancy owns the Blue Moon Motel, in the release.
Other organizers include resort owner Vincent Crocitto and demolition contractor Saby Jackson.
The group has the support of Lake George Village Mayor Robert Blais. “We built the Festival Commons to host an event such as this,” he said in the release. “The organizers understand the community and know what kind of event fits the character of Lake George. Dave Ehmann has a proven record of producing popular music festivals, as this one will be.”
One indication that Fins Up LG will be a success is the amount and depth of interest it’s attracted from “Parrotheads” around the northeast, after only a few digital whispers on fanbased social media sites. Fans even began booking motel rooms and camping sites even before tickets went on sale.
The weekend will kick off Thursday, June 18 with a reception at the Holiday Inn.
Starting Friday, June 19, at 2:30 p.m., the music begins. It stops long enough on Friday and Saturday nights for people to get some sleep and resumes on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
“It’s non-stop,” Ehmann said in the release.
Food vendors,including cajun-style cuisine, a margarita and daiquiri bar and a Mardi Gras parade are among the weekend’s features as well.
Tickets are available for purchase online, with many VIP options.
More information about Fins Up LG can be found online at FinsUpLG.com.