OSSA-FEST

Business owner treating local residents to a free day of music

In the middle of May, North Rockland is going to get a musical treat.
Tom Ossa, owner of Rockland Web Design, and vice president of the North Rockland Chamber of Commerce, will be reserving Eccher Park (formerly known as Lowland Park) for a day of live music, inviting numerous local musicians to participate in an open-mike style jam session.

The date for the event is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, starting at 12 noon, and possibly ending at 6 pm.

Ossa, also a local musician, will be providing the drums and PA system equipment via his band,The Lift. Several of the band members will also be performing. Previous to this event, they have played Summer Concerts at The Shops at Nanuet, as well as several years at the Stony Point Seals Polar Plunge.

When discussing the event with Ossa, he was hesitant to promote the event too rapidly, saying “Usually I try to advertise the heck out of most of the events I run, you know…make it really grandiose. But this one is different, because I’m really looking to set it up as a grass-roots thing that we can maybe do again a few months from now. To me, music is life – and we should always have a chance to be able to both express ourselves musically, as well as learn about music from different genres outside of our own.”

The event will not offer any free food or amenities. Ossa recommends that everyone bring a picnic basket, a lawn chair and a blanket, so that “they can just hang out in the park”.