Scranton pop rockers Black Tie Stereo and Boastfuls play free Wilkes-Barre Cherry Blossom Festival on April 27
From a press release:
The city of Wilkes-Barre will host the 42nd annual Cherry Blossom Festival on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 with amusement rides and games, food and craft vendors, a pageant, car show, cornhole tournament, and live music and dancing, including sets from two award-winning Scranton pop rock bands.
The free festival will run from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. both days at Kirby Park (160 Market St., Wilkes-Barre). It is family friendly, though pets are not permitted in Kirby Park during special events.
Presented by Preservation of the Arts Wilkes-Barre, Black Tie Stereo will headline Saturday’s festivities at 6 p.m. with special guests The Boastfuls opening at 5 p.m. Packing venues all over Northeastern Pennsylvania for years with original and party rock cover shows, Black Tie Stereo have released two EPs, 2014’s “Black Tie Stereo” and 2017’s “DoYou,” as well as a handful of pop rock singles. The up-and-coming Boastfuls debuted last year and were named Best New Artist in the 2018 Steamtown Music Awards; they’re currently working on their own original music that will likely debut later this year.
Saturday will also include the 13th annual “Pirouettes in the Park” featuring Live Love Dance, Turi, the Dance Theater of Wilkes-Barre, the David Blight School of Dance, Take the Stage, and the Emerald Isle Step Dancers from 11:30 p.m.-3 p.m., followed by the third annual Cherry Blossom Festival Pageant.
Additionally, the first-ever Cherry Blossom Bean Bag Toss’em Cornhole Tournament is scheduled for 3 p.m., with check-ins beginning at 2 p.m. Organized by Preservation of the Arts, the cost to register is $40 per team. The cap is 32 teams, so players can register now at r2sports.com. The prizes are $500 for first place and $140 for second place, with proceeds from the tournament benefiting Verve Vertu Art Studio in Dallas, which develops and manages leisure and recreation activities for people with disabilities and special needs in NEPA.
The Giants Despair Hillclimb Association will showcase their race cars both days, and Sunday will feature live performances by religious musical acts from 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre’s beautiful 52-acre Kirby Park is one of the region’s most valued recreational resources. Given to the city by the Kirby family, the park welcomes hundreds of thousands each year as the setting for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, held during the last weekend of April, the city’s Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration, and countless other community events. It features tennis courts, a fitness trail, a pond, walking paths, a running track, softball fields, volleyball courts, pavilions, a parking area, and more.
Cherry Blossom Festival entertainment schedule:
Saturday, April 27
11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.: Pirouettes in the Park
3 p.m.-5 p.m.: Cherry Blossom Festival Pageant
3 p.m.-8 p.m.: Cherry Blossom Bean Bag Toss’em Cornhole Tournament
5 p.m.-5:45 p.m.: The Boastfuls
6 p.m.-7 p.m.: Black Tie Stereo
Sunday, April 28
11 a.m.-noon: Steve Perillo and the Followers
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.: Campfire Bacon Band
2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: Yvonne Hartman
4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Ben Horrevoets
5:45 p.m.-7 p.m.: Broken Road Duo
See NEPA Scene photos of Black Tie Stereo performing in 2016 here and photos of The Boastfuls opening for Drake Bell last February here.
Photo of Black Tie Stereo by Rich Howells/NEPA Scene
