19th Annual RockStock Set for Saturday

By Katie McFadden

School’s out and the 19th annual RockStock and Barrels festival is here! On Saturday, June 28, head to Beach 90th Street for a full day of live music, surf contests, skate contests, volleyball, shopping and more.

St. James NYC, Boarders and Into the Whip Records are ready to present another free event of fun for the whole family this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and beyond. The day showcases everything great about Rockaway with surf, skate and volleyball talent, live music from young bands and vendors selling their crafts. And it’s a great reason for people to come together to kick off summer. “If you haven’t seen people in a while, this festival gives you a way to do that, plus you’ll catch bands, vendors and everything this festival has to offer, and it doesn’t cost you anything,” host Jimmy Dowd of St. James NYC said.

The day begins with the surf competition presented by the Eastern Surfing Association and Skudin Surf. The contests for boys, girls, men and women of all ages, begin early morning and run most of the day. To register, head to: https://liveheats.com/ESANewYork, or just sit back on the beach and enjoy the action. There will be cash prizes for the winners and a chance at 10 free annual subscriptions to Surfline’s premium service.

At 8:30 a.m., youth players who signed up for the volleyball tournament presented by Riis Park Volleyball Academy, can check in as games begin at 9 a.m. Adults can check in at 9 a.m. for a 9:30 a.m. start time for games. Registration closed on Monday, but visitors are free to watch the games on Beach 92nd Street. Adult competitors have a chance at a $1,000 prize purse and a Yeti Cooler package donated by Mazzone Ace Hardware, while kids can play for free ice cream and sandwiches at Wise Clock Café at the Beach 97th concession. To add to the fun, DJ Rob Pisani will be playing tunes on the beach during the tournament.

At 10 a.m., head to the skate park on Beach 90th as Substance Skate Park will be providing free skateboard lessons to anyone who is interested. Then, the more experienced skaters will get to show off at 1 p.m. with the Cash for Tricks contest, with cash prizes for the winners. STOKED Mentoring, Inc. will also be donating two free week-long vouchers for Woodward Skate Camp in PA, a package valued at $1,600, which includes transportation. One voucher will be raffled off, while one lucky winner in the skatepark will take home the other.

Prizes for the sports contests were generously donated by sponsors Red Bull, Skudin Surf, Drink Rockaway, Surfline, Riis Park Volleyball and Mazzone.

The vendor village will be running all day starting at 10 a.m., with around 30 different vendors selling everything from clothing to jewelry, services and more, so bring your wallet. Plus, there will be activities for the kids as Queens Public Library’s mobile van will be on site and the Rockaway Mermaid Brigade will have a tent for arts and crafts and face painting.

Beach 90th will be filled with music as some great young bands take the stage with rock and reggae tunes. The music is curated by musician Walker Hornung of Into the Whip Records. While he mostly selects bands on a first come-first served basis, Hornung likes to give the spotlight to bands playing original music, especially those just starting out. “A lot of these kids are between 15 and 25, playing a lot of punk and grunge music. There aren’t a lot of places that are willing to take a risk with original bands, so that’s what we do here at RockStock,” Hornung said. “I feel it’s important to do this for these younger bands.”

Kicking off the day at 10 a.m. is SLMBR, which Hornung says is “a pretty seasoned alt-rock band a la The Smiths.” At 11 a.m., local newcomers Boulevard Bushmen take the stage, mixing it up with some reggae. At 12 p.m., The Morning After will take a break from the skate park as these skaters take to the stage with some punk rock tunes. A return guest, Glenn Strange, brings a “grunge-flavor” to the stage at 1 p.m.  At 2 p.m., The Vibrotones turn up the rock and roll. At 3 p.m., returning is Derecho, with a little appearance from Walker himself, as it’s his son’s band, and he’s bringing along with him special return guest BMWA to add some soca flare to the set. Samsara, a “return favorite” will draw a crowd at 4 p.m. And closing out the show is band Ryan Walfisch, featuring former Glenn Strange drummer, child prodigy, Jack Medaglia.

It doesn’t end there. The after party will continue at the Beach 97th concession as A Mad Revival band takes the stage at 6 p.m., playing original tunes and covers. And once that’s over, head to Connolly’s on Beach 95th Street to keep the party going as a DJ continues the fun. But don’t stop there. On Sunday, June 29, there will be a RockStock pool hangout during the day, and sunset dance party starting at 3 p.m. at The Rockaway Hotel. For pool passes or Cabana rentals, check out therockawayhotel.com

In its 19th year, Dowd says RockStock has become “a tradition. There are kids that were coming to this thing in strollers and now they’re full adults entering the contests and listening to the music. We say we’ll do 20 years and be done but seeing all the parents and kids and everyone having so much fun inspires us to start planning again. It’s a tradition for Rockaway and one of the biggest events on the boardwalk. There’s nothing like this and it’s an honor to pull this together and serve the community year after year,” Dowd said.

The organizers just hope the weather is on their side to make the rain or shine tradition a success. “We’re praying for good weather,” Hornung said. “This all started because I love music and Jimmy likes to surf, and as we’ve gone on, more people have gotten involved. It’s nice to bring everyone together for a nice time. We hope the weather cooperates and we see as many faces as possible on Saturday.”

For more info about RockStock and Barrels, head to: Rockstocknyc.com