We love producing great community events like the annual Harahan Music Festival and Food Drive. If you’d like to enlist our expertise, network, and knowledge to help you with an event or idea, reach out to StrandedSouthMusic@gmail.com.
Food Items Raised: 1,100 | Money raised: $600
SUMMARY:
In proud partnership with the city of Harahan, Stranded South Music and Media led the effort in gathering support from the local business community to produce the 1st Harahan Music Festival and Food Drive on May 15th, 2021.
What started as a morning drive past a quaint park in March would snowball into a community-driven project, utilizing assistance and assets from local businesses and citizens to raise over 1,100 food items and $600 for the St. Rita Food Pantry which services families in need from the Harahan and River Ridge area.
FESTIVAL POSTER and Promo Video
ENTERTAINMENT:
Hosting great New Orleans artists such as Bon Bon Vivant, The Andre Lovett Band, and Jamie Bernstein (four bands at three venues) was a flavorful approach to programming for this full day of live music therapy.
We wanted our line-up to boast the dynamic talent of the region, and introduce these wonderful New Orleans artists to the area of Harahan for future events.
Here is a great musical moment from the event as a second line, led by Bon Bon Vivant, ends their set at Zeringue Park and leads the audience to the second venue of the day for the start of Felipe K-Rrera Jazz Quartet at Bienvenue:
LOGOS AND TEXT:
With the event, we wanted not only to produce a day of positivity and entertainment for the local residents, but also highlight the city of Harahan as a prosperous and vibrant place to live and do business.
We decided incorporating elements of horses, clouds, and sunflowers in our festival imagery would illustrate the quiet strength that defines the citizens of the area. The clouds carrying the horses with an almost heavenly cushion, and the sunflowers appearing like music speakers while representing the start of summer. The western font conveys the do-it-yourself nature of the community as well as the event.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Our food raising efforts would be kick-started by donations from Blue Runner Foods as well as Camellia Brand, each offering about $500 worth of goods. Sponsorships from other local businesses like Gendusa’s and My Brother’s Bar would allow us to keep the event free.
New Orleans singer Andre Lovett with adoring fans:
Bon Bon Vivant
REVITALIZATION OF A PARK | CHALLENGES
Producing this festival at the underutilized Zeringue Park held many challenges. We were just beginning to crawl our way out of an unprecedented health crisis, and we needed to ensure the safety of everyone involved with the event.
Surrounded by great restaurants and located in the heart of Harahan on Hickory Avenue, the park is a great asset but had not been utilized in this manner until now. Turning the festival from an idea into an actuality took some convincing.
HARAHAN CITY COUNCIL – PROPOSAL FOR EVENT PERMIT / Stranded South President Serge Villanova (March 29th, 2021)
HARAHAN CITY COUNCIL – RECAP OF EVENT / Stranded South President Serge Villanova and project assistant Christian Boxdorfer (May 20th, 2021)
Our event and the support we received helped us provide much needed work for some of the best musicians in the area, facilitate a great day of entertainment for the local community, and initiate an idea that will grow into bigger and better community-focused and community-led initiatives.
Zeringue Park shelter | March 29th, 2021
Zeringue Park shelter | July 1st, 2021
