Center Street gets rocked

Published 12:00 am Friday, September 14, 2007

The river was rockin’ Saturday night with music for all ages from one end of the Center Street Landing to the other end at the Fuzzy Duck.

The fifth annual Rock on the River at the Center Street Landing started at 4 p.m., promoted as a day that belongs to the teens and young adults.

“We got started five years ago for the kids because there was nothing in town for them to do,” said organizer Darrell McFann. “I had one that was playing music so we decided we would try this one time to see if we could have something for the kids that was a day of theirs. That’s how we got started.”

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He and his wife, Kim, and several other volunteers worked to have music that youth would like.

“We just do it for fun,” McFann said. “I go in the hole for it every year. It’s all in fun.”

No alcohol or drugs were allowed at the event. About 200 young people were expected at the event.

Pop rock and heavy metal bands entertained on a portable stage on the river.

All the bands were local, including The Mechanical End, PI, Zeroking, Unload and Trigger Disciple.

Next year, he is turning the event over to his son, Cody Belleville.

At the other end of the landing at the Fuzzy Duck was the Second Annual River Rock featuring Earl Thomas Conley.

“We’ve sold between 300 and 400 tickets,” said Paul Wilks, owner of the Fuzzy Duck.

The day started with a Poker Run fundraiser, said Suzy Bryant at the Fuzzy Duck.

“The money goes for kids that don’t get anything,” she said.

Last year, they raised about $800 in the Poker Run and selling raffle tickets for children who wouldn’t otherwise have a Christmas.

“We had seven or eight families last year,” Wilks said.

After the Poker Run, Conley’s band entertained. Throughout the evening, Rick Ferguson, Wally Christian, Rock Candy and Gypsy Roze entertained before Conley appeared on stage.

Conley is from West Portsmouth in Scioto County and started his music career as a songwriter producing hits for Conway Twitty, Mel Street and others, and then moving into singing and entertaining.

He became the first country artist to take four songs from an album to the No. 1 spot on the charts. His song, “Holding her and Loving You” won the Country Song of the Year award in 1983.