Rockin’ on the Mon Riverfest kicks off summer of music

Whey Jennings headlined the extended show Saturday at the Aquatorium in Monongahela.

Whey Jennings performs at the Rockin on the Mon Riverfest in Monongahela. Matt Petras / For the Mon Valley Independent

After playing a full song for a soundcheck a half hour before his headlining show Saturday at the Monongahela Aquatorium, Whey Jennings hung out at the merchandise table by the stage to sign T-shirts, shake hands and pose for pictures.

Once he hit the stage for real, Jennings encouraged crowd members to get up from their seats and dance in front of the stage, and more than a few took him up on that.

“How we doing tonight?” Jennings shouted to applause. “How we doing, Pennsylvania?”

Throughout the day, more than 800 people attended the Rockin’on the Mon Riverfest, a large kick-off to the Aquatorium’s summer concert series featuring three opening acts in addition to Jennings.

Warmth filled the air, but an occasional breeze and a lack of mugginess kept the day from repeating the intense heat of last year’s Riverfest.

Sponsored by the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency, the Riverfest cost $10 per person and ran from 2 p.m. until late at night. In addition to Jennings, it featured Broom, Right Turn Clyde and Walkin’ Rosie.

Vendors selling barbecue, Italian food, funnel cakes, lemonade, caricature drawings, knickknacks, jewelry and more filled the event space above the bleachers and stage.

“It was super hot, but people still came anyway, which is amazing,” said Shannon Schumaker, an organizer of the event alongside Tanya Chaney. “That shows great support.”

Walkin’ Rosie’s wide range of covers included Katy Perry, Journey and various country classics.

“I thought it was a great show,” lead singer Maria Yezovich said. “We are known for our variety, genre variety of music and artist variety, and we wanted to put that on display tonight. But still, we went a little bit heavier on country than we normally do.”

“Knowing the audience, we try to tailor to them, and I think people liked it,” added Eric Biel, lead guitar and vocalist.

Yezovich and Biel loved their first-ever performance at the Aquatorium.

“It’s nice,” Biel said. “I definitely will come back, whether I’m playing or not.”

Aquatorium crowds, which include a large number of seniors, tend not to get too rowdy, and that remained true Saturday night. Still, Jennings managed to get some to trade sitting for grooving. Playing hits from his grandfather, Waylon Jennings, certainly sweetened the deal.

“Do we got any Waylon fans out there?” he asked the crowd. “I can’t hear you, you’re too far away!”