(excerpted from the Kent County News)
Local song-writers are in the spotlight in this week’s Music in the Park Concert, Saturday, July 28. Chris Cerino will lead off the evening’s entertainment. His first CD “Kent County Diaries,” is an affectionate and frequently amused look at what it means to live and work in Kent County. Its musical portraits of Kent County life touched on subjects including Lucy the goose, the greased pig races at the county fair, and the joys of country stores. His second CD, “Traveling at the Speed of Tide,” was recorded live as a fundraiser for the Wildlife Festival. It included new songs on topics ranging from the workings of the local rumor mill to the economic pressures on farmers to “a sentimental view of the gorgeous surroundings that we so often take for granted while living in such a special place.”
Singer/songrwriter John Bunts, a Galena resident for more than 25 years, has appeared with a number of local bands, in addition to performing as a solo act. He plays electric and acoustic guitars and keyboards. Originally from western Virginia, Bunts moved to Kent County after marrying a Rock Hall girl. Two of the original songs he will bring to Music in the Park are “Rock Hall Kind of Day,” which blends the folk traditions of the Virginia mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, and “Sugar Hollow Girl,” which he described as a moun-tain love song.
Johnson Fortenbaugh and Friends will be the closing act Saturday. Fortenbaugh, has played with the band “Big Hats, No Cattle,” In addition to singing, Fortenbaugh plays six- and 12-string guitar. An Eastern Shore native, he lives with his family on Quaker Neck, near the East Fork of Langford Bay. In keeping with the songwriter theme of the evening, Fortenbaugh will perform “The Healthwife,” his original song about his wife who practices the latest in healthy life-styles. His set list also includes the ragtime-flavored classic “Sailing Down the Chesapeake Bay,” from 1916, and several folk favorites such as “City of New Orleans.” On Saturday, Fortenbaugh will be accompanied by several musicians with whom he has played at the monthly open mic sessions at Prince Theatre, Ford Schuman and Peter Heck on guitar, and Debbie Campbell on bass.
Music in the Park performances begin at 7 p.m. in Fountain Park. A limited number of seats are available, so the audience is advised to bring folding chairs or blankets. In the event of rain, the performance will be held in Emmanuel Episcopal Church, on Cross Street opposite the park.