What's newNew Pier 413 brings wine, magic and song
For this year’s Grape Festival, planners have created a new feature, sure to delight and excite fairgoers.
The Lodi-based jazz band Cell Block 7 is one of the acts which will be
performing at the Lodi Grape Festival and Harvest Fair’s newest venue
— Pier 413. The annual festival will run from Thursday, Sept. 16 through
Sunday, Sept. 19. (Courtesy photo)
Pier 413, which takes place under the festival’s center tent, blends the sights and sounds of San Francisco’s Pier 39, with the time-honored traditions of the Lodi celebration.
Classical jazz band Cell Block 7, magician Sean McMahon and escape artist/BMX bike rider Chris Karney will be entertaining audiences of all ages, according to Grape Festival director Mark Armstrong, who was responsible for booking most of the acts.
Saturday’s grape stomps will also be held inside the tent, where the Lion’s Club will be selling wine from Van Ruiten vineyards, this year’s featured wine at the festival. The kid’s stomp will take place at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., with an open stomp scheduled for 3 p.m. This is the first year all the stomp events will be held on one day.
The name of the new feature comes from the address of the festival, 413 Lockeford St., Armstrong said, and almost everyone questions the name when they hear it.
Event organizers asked themselves how they could improve on last year’s wine garden, and came up with the idea of a large-scale entertainment center where fairgoers could meet one another, cool their heels and have fun all at once.
“We felt like there wasn’t enough going on in there,” Armstrong said. “Rather than being just a place to sit, it will be a place to sit, eat and be entertained.”
One act will be Lodi’s very own Cell Block 7. Started by retired Lodi Unified School District band teacher Bob Romans in 1981, the seven-piece ensemble specializes in music of the ‘20s and ‘30s.
Cell Block 7 will be playing at Pier 413 on Sunday at 5 p.m., but will also be wandering around the grounds, playing as a five-piece band for fairgoers.
“It’s an exciting thing for Lodi,” Romans said of the four-day event, which runs from Sept. 16-19. “Everybody runs into old friends when they’re walking around.”
Romans added that every year since his band began playing at the fair in the late ‘80s, he’s seen former students, often with children in tow.
“I couldn’t misbehave if I wanted to,” he said with a chuckle.
San Francisco artist Chris Karney performs stunts on a BMX bike before breaking into, or rather out of, his escapist routine. He calls it “confusionism.”
“The easiest way to describe confusionism would be going back to the root word ‘confusion.’ It will be a lot of fun,” Karney said.
The performer has audience members strap him into a straight jacket and bind him with chains. He then talks to the audience, often involving them as he makes his escape.
“You’ll know immediately what kind of energy he has,” Armstrong said of Karney’s tricks. “The crowd gets very involved.”
Also performing at Pier 413 will be magician Sean McMahon and three-piece mariachi band Trio Cancun Senorial.
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Performing at Pier 413 will be the following acts:
Magician Sean McMahon: Thursday at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Friday at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Escape artist/comedian Chris Karney: Thursday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Friday at 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.; and Saturday at 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Classical jazz band Cell Block 7: Sunday at 5 p.m.
Mariachi band Trio Cancun Senorial: Sunday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
