
Organizers are preparing to pack Painesville Square with music, vendors, family activities and people when Party in the Park kicks off this month.
The annual, volunteer-run event will go from July 18-20 and is described by organizers at the Painesville Community Improvement Corporation as “Ohio’s largest free music festival.” The group aims to use the funds it raises to support local programs in its five-community area.
The party will feature more than 20 music acts, starting at noon on July 18. Party co-chair Pam Morse said that the show will close by midnight on the first two nights and 11 p.m. on the party’s final night.
According to PCIC, cover band Big in Japan will close out on Friday night, Van Halen tribute band Right Now will close on Saturday and Journey tribute band E5C4P3 will wrap up the party on Sunday night.
Other performances that Morse and co-chair Tom Faehnle highlighted include:
• Lilieae, an alternative rock band that will take the stage at 4:55 p.m. on July 18;
• The Baldassare Rock Orchestra, which will perform rock orchestra versions of classic rock music starting at 8 p.m. on July 18;
• The Ladies’ Night, an all-male group performing Taylor Swift’s music during a “Swiftie Dance Party” at 8 p.m. on July 19; and
• Country Redford, a country rock band that will start at 7:05 p.m. on July 20.
A full schedule can be found at painesvilleimprovement.com/schedule.
Morse added that Painesville United Methodist Church will hold an outdoor service from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on July 20, while Grand River Baptist Church will hold a service from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Coffee will be available starting at 8 a.m.
The party will also feature a community stage with family activities, a family fun zone, food vendors and tent vendors, Morse said. A PCIC pub will serve drinks.
A VIP area will be open from 4 p.m. to close and include a different meal each night, she added. VIP tickets are available online for $65 a night, with discounted passes available for all three nights or for larger groups.
New this year, PCIC will also offer a “Paint and Sip” with Painesville’s Ariel Inspired Art Studio and Gallery from 1-3 p.m. on July 19. The limited number of tickets are available online for $30 a person and proceeds will support PCIC’s Safety Around Water program, which is held in conjunction with the Lake County YMCA and offers free swim lessons to local second graders.
PCIC uses Party in the Park proceeds to benefit the community in other ways, too. When it clears a profit on the event, Morse said the organization contributes funding to community programs in Painesville, Painesville Township, Fairport Harbor, Grand River Village and Concord Township.
Besides Safety Around Water, she said PCIC has also given back in recent years by contributing to Painesville’s new dog park and working with the Painesville Skateboarding Association on plans for a new skate park. The organization also hopes to help beautify Painesville by adding monarch butterfly-themed artworks by the fall.
Morse and Faehnle said that PCIC runs the event with its “Blue Shirt Group” of volunteers. Faehnle added that the organizers pay just under $200,000 to hold the event.
Morse said that signs will indicate where visitors can park. People with special needs can ask one of the volunteers in a blue Hawaiian shirt for a golf cart ride to and from the parking spot.
Organizers asked visitors to bring their own chairs. Pets and coolers will not be allowed.
“We want to see people out there, we want to see them enjoying the weekend, because it’s about family, art, culture and supporting Northeast Ohio,” Morse said.