Fri 5/19 @ 7PM
Sat 5/20 @ 4PM
Fifty years after it began in the afterglow of the hippie era and the Woodstock summer, the Hessler Street Fair ended in 2019, pulling the plug just before the pandemic pulled it for them. The brick-lined street was once home to the hippies and counterculture types who populated this festival, which was held every years through 1984, and then revived in 1995.
And for 25 years it was the place to go if you wanted to feel like 1969 was set in amber, with its sea of tie-dye, swirly dancers, street musicians, handmade crafts, homemade vegetarian food and booths offering information on various leftie causes.
Now the Grog Shop is hosting An Ode to Hessler, a two-night family reunion featuring many of the musicians who were regulars at the fair, as well as some newer acts in the same spirit who probably would’ve been booked had it continued.
One of those is the eight-piece horn band Shoreline Funk All Stars, one of the performers on the first night. That night also features Shaky Ground, the new version of reggae band Outlaws I&I, the newer Blackout Rose with its frentic funky soul rock, Unc D who blends jazz scatting with hip hop, and veteran folksinger Alex Bevan, who’s been performing since before there WAS a Hessler Street Fair. Don’t think he’s a relic though: his voice, guitar playing and songwriting get sharper and more skilled every year. He’ll open the evening with a solo acoustic set.
The second night will offer more reggae with the long-running Jah Messengers, and a set by the jam band, the JiMiller Band, who closed the festival’s first evening for many years. Big ship will play their sunny “acoustifunk,” and the New John McGrail Trio will feature some mainstays of the folk/roots music scene: Jay Bentoff, Charlie Mosbrook and Sheela Das.
In addition the event will feature some of the artisan vendors and activist organizations that gave the festival its flavor, including Hooper Farms’ food. Tickets are $10 each night, or $15 for both nights.
Get more info here.
One Response to “Hessler Street Fair Lives Again at the Grog Shop”
Joe Balaz
Is there still a performance aspect to the Hessler Street Fair? It was here and then it disappeared. I am a poet that performs to pre-order music. Did a performance this year that turned out to be a cultural exchange between Hawai’i and Cleveland via the Cleveland Ohio Center for the Book.
It would be wonderful to share my work with a different audience. Wishing you well. Joe