Charleroi concerts will be virtual for Community Days

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

A longstanding tradition in Charleroi will be held virtually this year.

Earlier this month, council discussed having a virtual concert series for Community Days instead of a street festival with vendors.

Mark Smith, president of the Mon Valley Academy for the Arts, a nonprofit organization that provides arts and cultural programs throughout the area, addressed council last week to garner support for the idea.

Council members Mark Alterici, Jerry Jericho, Jeannine Motycki, Nancy Ellis, Heidi Cramer and Jody Cheplic approved the plan during Wednesday’s business meeting. Councilman Frank Paterra cast the lone no vote, citing code and safety concerns.

The two-day virtual event may offer council the opportunity to reach its largest Community Days audience yet.

Council President Mark Alterici said the plan is to host a virtual Community Days concert the weekend of Oct. 16 on the unused third floor of the borough building.

Dave Barbe’s band will perform Friday, and Smith and members of the Twin Coaches Orchestra Project will perform Saturday. Concert times haven’t been determined.

Both concerts will be live-streamed through the MVAA’s Facebook page.

Smith isn’t new to the virtual stage. The MVAA has taken a virtual approach during the pandemic, holding multiple virtual events, with some concerts attracting more than 26,000 viewers from across the globe.

In the past, the third-floor space served as the “Cougar Canteen.” For decades, teens gathered to dance the night away following football games.

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