Hillside Park to host Rock Summit, other events in August

CLARKS SUMMIT — August is a busy month for Hillside Park. Besides the Lakeside Summer Concert Series on Wednesdays, there are quite a few summer events still lined up for people to enjoy the rest of the season.

On Saturday, Aug. 9 at 11 a.m., Hillside Park will host a benefit concert called Rock Summit. It focuses on honoring organizations and individuals who are from the Scranton area. This year, it will benefit The Gregory Pascale Foundation, the Susan J. Burke Foundation, Donations for Dave in honor of David Gromelski, and Friends of Anand – Voices Against Cancer in honor of Anand Nuguri.

There will be food vendors such as Fat Guys on Wheels, Papi’s Kitchen, Notis the Gyro King, Jitty Joe’s and All Belgium. Beverage vendors will include Case Quattro Winery and Susquehanna Brewing Company.

This is the second annual concert with a few returning bands from last year and mostly new ones this year. The event will kick off with a kids’ performance/dance party.

The bands performing afterward are:

• 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Rebekkahs rhythm & Tiny Tumblers.

• 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.: The Hawley Sisters.

• 1:20 to 2:30 p.m.: Cole Street Band.

• 2:30 to 4 p.m.: Retro Alliance and the Wiggy Diggy Band.

• 4:05 to 4:45 p.m.: Roy Williams.

• 4:45 to 6 p.m.: Mom Cheese.

• 6 to 7 p.m.: The Inturnz.

Rock Summit was created by Clarks Green resident Charles Gromelski and his siblings, Annie and Emma. He performs in a Philly-based group called Mom Cheese, which plays cosmic funk punk. He wanted to honor his late father, Dave Gromelski, who was in many local bands, including The Inturnz. He was also a lawyer who protected the environment.

“I am most excited to see how we’ve learned from last year to make the event even better than ever,” said Charles. “We’ve made some tweaks to the setup that I think will really make it a fun and cool environment. Also, we had an amazing turnout despite some rain early in the day last year, and as long as we get a nice summer day, I think the community support and turnout is going to be unbelievable.”

Kidpreneur Vendor Event

The next event at Hillside Park will be a Kidpreneur Vendor Event at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 10. Roughly 20 kids will sell their own unique creations ranging from bracelets to potted plants. A local music duo will perform at the pavilion. A softball group will offer its concessions for the day.

“We’ve been exploring creative ways to bring new community events to the park,” said Stacy Cognetti, who organized the event with April Jenkins. “Since this is something we haven’t hosted before, we thought it would be a fun way for kids to showcase their talents, stay engaged over the summer, and gain some experience with business and financial literacy. We also hope it inspires other young entrepreneurs to be creative and dream big!”

The Great Scranton Crop Swap

On Saturday, Aug. 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hillside Park will host The Great Scranton Crop Swap.

Backyard gardeners and farmers can bring fruits, vegetables, herbs, cut flowers and honey to trade. Processed or refrigerated goods like milk, meat, or prepared foods won’t be swapped. Because there are so many variables, each swapper will be able to barter directly with each other to determine a fair swap. Leftover produce will be donated to local food banks.

Kallin of Earth Wellness Studio will be there to lead a yoga class.

The Crop Swap was started by Kristy Sparrow, owner of Itty Bitty City Sprouts. She started this business in 2021 to meet growers of all experience levels and to get to know people. She wanted to invite local growers to show off and trade their produce, especially beginners.

“I’m hoping for a nice turnout and great weather for our first year. I know things have been slow-going with all the rain we had at the beginning of the growing season, but I hope to see a lot of growers, backyard gardeners, and even some of our local farmers at the swap!,” she said. “I hope this will be the start of a community event that people look forward to every year!”