Celebrate the Stony Creek Band’s 50th Anniversary

Photo courtesy Stony Creek Band

The Lake George Arts Project and the Village of Lake George celebrate the Stony Creek Band’s 50th anniversary with a party in Shepard Park on Thursday, August 24, at 6:30 pm. The festivities kick off with a performance by The Switch, and then The Stony Creek Band will take the stage.

The band took root in 1973 when folksinger/guitarist John Strong met guitarist/songwriter Hank Soto. A bass player joined the duo of Strong and Soto, and they toured New York and New England coffee houses playing their brand of folk music.

After settling in Stony Creek, New York, the band expanded to a seven-piece group with drums, rock guitar, pedal steel guitar and banjo. According to a Lake George Arts Project press release, for a time, the band was the largest year-round employer in the tiny hamlet of Stony Creek.

In the 1980s, the band evolved into its current configuration, which includes producer/ singer /songwriter Dave Maswick on bass, Blues Hall of Fame member Mike Lomaestro on drums, and noted bluegrass mandolin virtuoso, Fred Lantz.

The Stony Creek Band has performed hundreds of times over the decades, including a live performance on international TV for the closing ceremonies of the Goodwill Winter Games, an appearance at a New York State gubernatorial inauguration, a February outdoor appearance at the 25th-anniversary celebration of the “Miracle on Ice” and a live performance on NBC’s TODAY show with Meredith Viera and Ann Curry.

The Stony Creek Band 50th Anniversary Party is free and open to the public. Organizers recommend attendees bring a blanket or chair. Fireworks will follow the Stony Creek Band performance.