The fundraiser, Ronnie’s Way 5k, is in honor of Ron Graham who has been diagnosed with stage-four gastroesophageal cancer and has recently started treatment.

Musician and music teacher Mark Alpaugh describes Ron as a “galvanizing force,” especially when it came to the creation of the Infinity Arts Program at Washington Middle School, “Ron is one these people that they say, ‘Ron’s never met a stranger.’ You know, he seems to know everybody and is connected. So he would set up these meetings with my department head and with my principal at school to see if this was all legit, that we could do this in fact under the umbrella of the Jamestown Public Schools, and would that be okay to do after hours.”

Alpaugh said Ron Graham then was able to find a space in downtown Jamestown on East Third Street for the Infinity program, and it grew from there.

He said one of Ron’s biggest legacies with the Infinity program is that he was able to cross borders, “He was able to find kids from different schools, from different age groups, and from different ethnicities, genders, the whole thing, and bring them all together under one umbrella, which is music.”

Musician and teacher Steve Davis credited Ron with facilitating his and other’s growth as musicians, “Introducing me to so many of the upper echelon musicians in the area and bringing other professional musicians, international touring musicians.. he brought them to Jamestown to work with us and took our level of musicianship, took it through the roof. And just the experiences and opportunities we would have never have experienced without him.”

The event Saturday at Jackson-Taylor Park will start at 10:00 a.m. with a 5K run, followed by a Hot Shots Basketball tournament as well as a community walk at 11:00 a.m.

Live music is part of the day, too, with Steve Davis and Friends starting at 10:30 a.m., “Jeremy Bunce will be playing guitar. Daniel Witherspoon will be playing some drums. Rahsaan Graham, Ron’s son, will be playing some percussion. Marla Harris will be coming down to sing some songs.”

The link to register for the “Ronnie’s Way” event is available here: https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/Jamestown/Ronnie

Musician Steve Davis is joined by an ensemble of talented musicians and singers as part of the Arts on Fire LIVE public performance series inside the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts’ Media Arts Studio in Jamestown, NY on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. Introduction by WRFA’s Dennis Drew.

Presented by WRFA Radio / Reg Lenna Center fro the Arts.

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WRFA’s Great American Picnic at the Southern Tier Brewing Company on June 18, 2019 – celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Featuring music from Bill Ward and Friends, Cold Lazarus, Gary Peters Jr. and Friends, Steve Davis and Friends, Feverhawk, and Astroglide (members of We Speak Canadian, Two for Flinching, and Porcelain Busdrivers).

JAMESTOWN – Students from Infinity Visual and Performing Arts have been working since October to prepare for this year’s annual Spring Showcase, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, at the Jamestown High School Auditorium.

According to organizers, Infinity students have the opportunity to practice and hone their talents through various performance opportunities at the Infinity Arts Café and throughout the community. The Spring Showcase, which is again sponsored this year by Shults Auto Group, serves as the largest student performance of the year.

Infinity Ensemble, The Currents, with instructor Jeremy Bunce will be performing on stage at this year’s Spring Showcase, along with a number of talented student performers under the direction of Infinity instructor mentors.

“The Spring Showcase is a well-rounded evening of student performers featuring various music ensembles and soloists, as well as dance and theater performances,” explained Infinity executive director Shane Hawkins. “You will be amazed at the amount of talent displayed on the stage, and the amount of hard work the students put in to this event.”

Infinity students have had the pleasure of working with instructor and area musician, Steve Davis, who has served at this year’s Artistic Director of the show. Steve has been a piano and drum instructor and ensemble director at the Infinity Center since 2003 and is also one of the original seven Infinity students.

Also working with students is Instructor Dylan Carlson who recently competed in the widely known “American Idol” national competition. Dylan is using his performance experiences to coach vocal students participating in the opening and closing numbers.

Area favorite Adam Owens will be the Stage manager for the event and coordinating the event this year is Infinity’s Program Coordinator, Kate Rinko.

”This event is so important because it incorporates every aspect of the arts disciplines we offer and involves so many students who work with a variety of our wonderful instructors!” Rinko said.

The cost to attend the Spring Showcase is $10 dollars for adults ($7 pre-sale). Children under 18 are free. Tickets can be purchased in advance from the Infinity Center, located at 301 East 2nd Street, Suite 101 in Jamestown, or online at www.infinityperformingarts.org/shop. Tickets will also be available at the door on the evening of the event.

In addition to great performances by our area youth, Infinity will be offering the chance to win one of three gift baskets. This year’s prizes include $150 cash, $300 in gift certificates to area restaurants, or a $300 Value Grab Bag Basket. Tickets are five dollars each or four for just ten dollars, and can be purchased at the Infinity Center, online, or from any of Infinity’s board members.

“This event is a celebration of youth empowerment, talent, and the mentorship bond between our students and their instructors. It is one of our favorite Infinity events each year. Thank you to everyone who comes out to support the kids’ and instructors’ hard work!” Hawkins said.

More information about Spring Showcase, including a list of performers, can be found on Infinity’s Facebook Page.

For questions or more information, please call the Infinity Center at 716-664-0991.

The 2018 Great American Picnic takes place Tuesday, June 26 at Southern Tier Brewing Co. Here’s an image from the 2015 event.  (Photo courtesy of Andy Palermo)

LAKEWOOD – An annual fundraising event for the only locally owned, non-religious radio station in Chautauqua County will be taking place Tuesday night, June 26 in Lakewood.

WRFA and the Southern Tier Brewing Co. are teaming up to present the seventh annual Great American Picnic – an evening of friends, food and live music from a variety of local and regional performers. This year’s theme is “I Love the 80s!”

The Great American Picnic will begin at 5 p.m. at the home of the Southern Tier Brewing Co. (2072 Stoneman Circle, Lakewood, NY) and will feature a wide variety of musical acts.

Musical entertainment for this year includes The Porcelain Bus Drivers, We Speak Canadian, Bill Ward, Feverhawk, Steve Davis & Friends, Cheers for Beers (Gary Peters, Jay Peterson, Dan Witherspoon, Steve Davis and more!), and Rebecca McIlvain.

Many of the performances will also be recorded and broadcast on WRFA.

All the music that will be played during the four-hour event will be songs from the 1980s.

Tickets to this exclusive event are $20 each and include two complimentary beers from Southern Tier. In addition, the WRFA Advisory Board will also be on hand selling hotdogs, raffle tickets, and letting attendees get their photo taken with a vintage 80s convertible.

The event continues until 9 p.m.

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