10,000 Maniacs to Headline 2024 Toonerville Music Festival
10,000 Maniacs, the alt indie band known for their 1990s hits “These Are Days” and “Because the Night,” is set to headline the fourth annual Toonerville Music Festival in Pelham, this fall. Tickets for the non-profit event, to be held on September 21, are currently on sale at toonerville.org.
The event will run from 12-10pm. Entrance to the festival is located at 195 Sparks Avenue, Pelham, NY, 10803, close to the Metro-North train station in Pelham. The festival will include two stages, a kids zone, food trucks, ice cream, beer from Captain Lawrence Brewing, and wine tasting and sales from Soberon Wines.
Toonerville Music Festival benefits the Pelham Civic Association, a not-for-profit supporting programs for seniors, youths, disabled and the needy.
A silent auction will raise additional funds, inviting festival attendees and non-attendees alike to bid via app on music-focused memorabilia items, gift cards and more.
This year the festival is also introducing children’s activities in the “Kids Zone,” sponsored by Artistic Manner Floral and run by the Pelham childcare provider Danilee’s Helping Hands and the family fitness studio Universal Moms.
Another new element in 2024 is the “Donor Tent” sponsored by Aggregate Sports providing refreshments, snacks, wine tasting, executive washrooms and private seating, as well as full access to the festival, a t-shirt a souvenir lanyard and recognition in official festival program guide. Donor tickets are $150. Those that have already purchased a regularly priced Toonerville ticket can choose to upgrade to a donor ticket with a $100 tax deductible donation either via the ticketing site or day of the event.
“We are thrilled for this fall’s return of Toonerville, a festival that not only brings top acts to Pelham but also embodies the spirit of our community,” said Warren Banholzer, one of the festival’s founders and organizers alongside John Gaenzler and Jason Jeffries. “Since its debut in 2021, Toonerville has become a cherished tradition, uniting our town and supporting the vital work of the Pelham Civic Association. This festival is a testament to the power of music and community.”
With a total of 17 acts, the full line-up of performers for the all-day music event will include, in addition to 10,000 Maniacs, the Los Angeles-based folk-pop duo Wells Ferrari, Billboard Hot 100 charting singer-songwriter Jeffrey Gaines, Brandi & the Alexanders, Rachel Ana Dobken, The Lonely Together, Corinthian Hall, Today’s Outfit, Farm Bureau, Emmett McLaughlin, Stellar Wolfs, The Danned, Dos Decadas, Mellow Fellows, Sade Fox, Seventh Avenue and Liam Ginsburg.
Several locally based artists along with select high school acts number among the performers, including seasoned and up and coming talent throughout the greater New York City area. Toonerville provides a unique opportunity for these aspiring acts to share the big stage with top national acts.
The festival is named for the trolley that once carried commuters up and down Pelham’s main street, to and from the train station and was the inspiration for the popular TOONERVILLE FOLKS cartoon by Fontaine Fox. Residents can reexperience the historic trolley on the day of the festival as it transports concert goers and makes a continuous loop in Pelham for the event’s duration. The festival trolley is sponsored by State Farm of Pelham.
Additional Festival Sponsors include: Westchester Soccer Club, The Gallo Family, Meridian Risk Management and Meridian Realty, water sponsor Columbia Doctors, United Site Services, Atlas Party Rentals and Rockwell’s American Restaurant. The festival continues to invite additional sponsors to gain exposure while supporting the community and can be contacted at sponsors@toonerville.org.