Friends Coastal Restaurant presents FriendzFest to benefit

Guitars In The Classroom and Art For Madisonville

Friends Coastal Restaurant presents the first annual FriendzFest to benefit local charities on May 30^th, 2010.  Proceeds from the event benefit the Guitars In The Classroom and Art For Madisonville.

The event will include arts and crafts vendors, live music throughout the day, fabulous food and beverages, a spokesmodel contest and a spectacular fireworks show on the Tchefuncte River.

The Band of Brothers (blues) start the music at 3pm, followed by Supercharger (80’s and 90’s pop hits) at 430pm, then Soul Revival (Motown and R&B) takes the stage at 6pm.  The Miss Planet Beach International Preliminary Spokesmodel Competition then takes the stage at 730pm.  Bottoms Up! (modern hits and rock) then come out at 8pm directly before the fireworks at 930pm.  The Dingbats (rock and roll) conclude the evening with live music down the street from Friends at Riverside Tavern.

The streets intersecting at Friends (St. Tammany and Water Street) will be blocked off at 2pm.

The Friendzfest 2010 Fireworks On The River Extravaganza will take place directly in front of Friends Restaurant launched from a huge barge parked in the Tchefuncte River.

 Friends owner Chris Binnings expects a fun filled day “We are expecting a good crowd and a diverse crowd with a lot of families attending.  And we can’t be more excited to be hosting the first annual Friendzfest especially since we will be helping out two outstanding local charities, Guitars In The Classroom and Art For Madisonville.”

Friends Coastal Restaurant is located at 407 Saint Tammany Street Madisonville, LA 70447   (985) 845-7303

About Art For Madisonville

Art For Madisonville is a non-profit organization created to nurture and promote the development of art and artists in our area. A primary element of this promotion is the establishment of a local art market. It also provides art collectors and art lovers access to the ever increasing range of art in St. Tammany Parish. Art markets are scheduled at various time throughout the year along the Tchefuncte River Front in Madisonville, LA. For additional information, call Philippa Gillen at (985) 845-8292.

About Guitars In The Classroom    Guitars in the Classroom inspires, trains and equips general classroom teachers and specialists to integrate music and music making across the academic curriculum through “song-based instruction” so students of all ages have the opportunity to learn through making music together in class, everyday. Our work prepares and supports educators to lead the way competently and confidently, employing music as a powerful tool for reaching all learners, teaching all subjects, and building character and community in their classrooms.

GITC programs are free to teachers. They include “easy” group guitar, singing, song-leading and collaborative songwriting instruction on an ongoing basis through seven sequential course levels, in accordance with educational content standards for music and academic subjects. And thanks to the generosity of GITC’s sponsors from the music products industry, teachers have free access to instruments, musical accessories, resource materials, and pedagogical support.

Guitars in the Classroom believes that strong local musical communities can support and sustain programs that allow children and youth to experience music throughout the years. Our unique, grassroots approach unites teachers, school administrators, artists, families, business people, associations, community foundations, civic organizations, and generous individuals in a common purpose- to revive and restore music to its rightful place in our schools and culture. Together, we can make a difference.   For more information:  www.guitarsintheclassroom.org.

Thank You