The Powerhouse is located along the Mohawk River on the right, with Rock Valley Brewing Company (the red building) on the left.
Music Engages the Soul
By Dave Warner
The Powerhouse Rock Festival is scheduled for May 20th down at Canal Place in Little Falls, with the food vendors ready at noon and music running from 2:00 pm until 11:00 pm.
Featured bands will be Rev-D from the Saratoga area, with local Phil Scarrano as the drummer, and Walrus from the Syracuse area, whose drummer, Jeff Mosher, also hails from Little Falls. Headliner, Dark Sarcasm is from the Albany area, and they are a Pink Floyd Tribute Band.
Dark Sarcasm is an eight-piece band, and they focus on providing an authentic Pink Floyd experience, playing songs from a variety of albums, such as The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and more.
Mark Regan came up with the idea for the festival, and he said, “Periodically, I have rock concerts at my house, and I thought it was time to have another one. Why not at the Powerhouse and share it with the City?”
He approached Mike George with Rock Valley Brewing Company and asked him to get involved, closing the street and making it an all-day festival with craft beer made in Little Falls.
“Let’s invite people locally and around the globe to come here and experience this free event,” he stated.
They also decided to make it a fundraiser for the food pantry, requesting non-perishable items to be donated. “We then decided to have local vendors be within the footprint.”
Seven food vendors are involved, and some other craft vendors will also appear.
Mike George stated that the reason for the festival was to get the word out about Little Falls and not only the upcoming project at the Powerhouse but also his business and all of the restaurants that are participating.
“We just want to bring people to the area and let them see what Little Falls has to offer. We have people that come from all over for the Garlic and Cheese Festivals, and we wanted to build on that and keep people coming here.”
He said, “It’s just a little reprieve from the day-to-day grind. Both bands that are playing here are fantastic, and they’ve played here a number of times. They always draw great crowds,” George stated.
George also mentioned that Dark Sarcasm has a little treat for everyone at the end of the concert.
Prep work is ongoing in the area, expanding the parking and leveling the space between the Antique Center, where a berm has been removed, to grading around the Powerhouse. They’re also doing some work in preparation for future site development.
Regan is setting up an outdoor stage on the property, but nothing will happen inside the Powerhouse. “All the headliner stuff is outside. We’ll have tents set up to deal with the weather, and we’re requesting that everyone bring their lawn chairs.”
The stage will back up to the Mohawk River and be turned at about a 45-degree angle so the sound will go towards Elizabeth St. “We don’t want it reverberating off the ramp wall or the Powerhouse, that’s why we’ve angled it,” Regan stated.
“The light show and other things will blow your hair back,” he said.
The concert also has a youth, Veterans, and military family component, with American Legion and Herkimer VFW participation.
“May 20th is Armed Forces Day, so that’s appropriate,” he said.
The Elks Lodge will have their BBQ chicken as a fundraiser for a Little Falls Central School District scholarship. “All the funds from the Elks cooking chicken will go to that scholarship fund.”
Regan said, “We already have people coming in from three continents, seven countries, and twelve states that we know of.”
George reminded people to bring an item for the food pantry. “We’re trying to raise some money and get some donations to help those less fortunate than us.”
