Discount Music Fest tickets on sale through March 24

By Maureen Robertson

Tickets for Ramona Music Fest 5 will be $20 through March 24. From March 25 through March 31, the day of the music festival, tickets for ages 18 and older will be $25.

Tickets for ages 11 through 17 are $10, and children age 10 and younger will be admitted free.

Tickets are available from Kiwanis and Rotary club members and at Ramona Music Center at 1045 Main St., Java Hut at 23680 San Vicente Road, Ramona Journal at 726 D St., and Ramona Sentinel at 425 10th St.

Ramona Music Fest, presented by Kiwanis of Ramona and Ramona Rotary, features non-stop music on two stages. The fifth annual event will be from noon to 5 p.m. in Dos Picos County Park, 17953 Dos Picos Park Road. From eight to 10 bands, including well-established performers and new local talent, will entertain at the rain-or-shine festival.

Games, auctions, drawings, prizes, and a kids zone for youngsters to enjoy supervised games and activities also are part of the afternoon’s line-up.

Tickets also are available for a Samsung 40-inch LCD HD television valued at $750. Only 300 tickets will be sold at $25 each, with tickets drawn throughout the afternoon. The last ticket in the bin will be the winner, who need not be present.

Proceeds from the fund-raising event benefit Kiwanis and Rotary community service projects and scholarships.

Food and drinks will be available. Two beer and wine gardens will be open near the two stages.

Headlining the musical lineup this year will be Rockola, Cactus Twang & Whyte, Agavero Revue, Baja Blues Boys, Dusty and the Love Notes, The Lost Coyotes, and other bands.

Rockola’s four-part harmonies, vintage guitars and clothing, and three decades of the greatest rock and roll, pop and soul music ever written have earned this San Diego-based quartet no fewer than eight San Diego Music awards.

Cactus Twang & Whyte offer spot-on performances of classics made famous by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Sponsorships ranging from $500 to $1,500 are available:

•Main Stage, $1,500, includes eight tickets and placement of sponsor’s banner.

•Kids Zone, $1,000, includes six tickets and banner placement.

•Bands, $500 per sponsor, two are planned, includes six tickets and banner placement. More than nine bands are scheduled to perform.

•Live Auction, $500, includes four tickets and signage at the event.

•Silent Auction, $500, includes four tickets and signage at the event.

All sponsors will be recognized on the web at www.ramonamusicfest.org with a link to each sponsor’s website.

Major sponsors of the event already are Dr. Jane Tanaka, Stone Brewing Co., Ramona Music Center, and Greg Chick.

Among projects Ramona Kiwanis and Rotary clubs support are the annual Fourth of July celebration, high school scholarships for continuing education, high school sports and educational programs, Ramona Library, Kids Bike & Safety Fair, Project Lifesaver, Teen Suicide Prevention, Arriba Teen Center, Boys & Girls Club, Ramona Senior Center, Ramona Adult Day Health Care Center and international service.

To become a Ramona Music Fest sponsor, go to www.ramonamusicfest.org and click on the Donors tab and the Donate sub-tab, or call Anita Gentry, who is spearheading event sponsorships, at 760-654-3004.