FINAL FREE SUMMER 2011 CONCERT AT SPRINGFIELD ARMORY NHS

Date: August 22, 2011
Contact: Shera Cohen, [phone]

SPRINGFIELD, MA: What do the following men have in common - Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, and John Mayer? What do the following women share - Madonna, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston? How are the following groups similar - Coldplay, U2, Pearl Jam, Guns n' Roses, and Aerosmith?

The answers are: they are music superstars, each has performed Top 10 Chart Busters from the 1980's to the present, and their songs will be among those performed by the Rock Band of the U.S. 94^th Army. The FREE concert will take place on Saturday, August 27^th from 6pm until 8pm. The performance is hosted by the Springfield Armory National Historic Site, and the corporate sponsor is Webster Bank.

The six-piece band will perform two hours of rock music on the outdoor stage on the grounds of Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). All are professionally trained musicians with a specialty of "rockin' the house" (or in this case, the grassy lawn!) with famous sounds of the last three decades.

The 94^th Division Band is a unit of the Army Reserve based out of the eastern United States. It has been nicknamed "The Pilgrim Division." The 94^th served in WWI, and during WWII was involved in operations in Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.

The bands of the U.S. Army are the oldest in all of the military branches, and have toured throughout the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and the Far East.

This is the last of three free military band concerts to take place at Springfield Armory NHS and STCC this summer. The US Coast Guard Dixieland Jazz Band performed in June and the U.S. Navy Northeast Pops Band took the stage in July.

Springfield Armory NHS and STCC are located at the corner of State and Federal streets in Springfield. The public is welcome to bring picnics, lawn chairs, and blankets to the concert. The rain site is STCC's Scibelli Hall (Building 2). Handicap parking and indoor rest room facilities are available. Visitors are invited to arrive prior to the concert to tour the Museum which will also be open during all event hours.

In addition to Webster Bank and Springfield Armory NHS, assistance in producing this concert comes from STCC, In the Spotlight, and the Springfield Cultural Council - an agency of the MA Cultural Council.

Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates and preserves the site of our Nation's first armory, established in 1794. Managed together with the Commonwealth of MA, Springfield Technical Community College and the National Park Service, the site holds many layers of history within its buildings and grounds. The site of the repulse of Shays' Rebellion, 1787; production of the nation's first interchangeable parts; and home of the world's largest historic American military firearms collection invites our visitors to share its history and beauty. As a unit of the National Park Service, the Visitor Center, Museum, buildings and grounds are open daily, 9am-5pm except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day. Admission is free. The contact telephone number is 413-734-8551. Our website is www.nps.gov/spar.

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