(Originally published in Cherokee Tribune)
The Alzheimer’s Music Festival will return later this month in Atlanta, benefiting Cherokee County nonprofit organization Stand Up For Seniors.
The event will be at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta on Feb. 22. Doors open at 5:30 P.M. Parking is free across the street from the venue.
Featured artists include The Producers and Glenn Phillips. Other performing artists include Thomas Claxton, Guru Fish, and Drop Sonic.
The festival’s presenter and organizer, Vince Zangaro, has been passionate about raising awareness and resources for people with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers ever since his father was diagnosed when Zangaro was just 29. He found himself isolated, depressed, and without a support system. Inspired by his background in the music industry, he started the Alzheimer’s Music Festival.
“The most important thing is for people to have a resource and find their village,” Zangaro said. There’s a gap in assistance between in-home care and memory care facilities, where adult children work full-time as caregivers for their parents. Zangaro said, “They’re the ones that are typically the most burned out, the most overwhelmed, and have the least resources.”
Caregivers and people with Alzheimer’s need resources, whether it’s securing respite care for full-time caregivers or funding basic needs like pharmaceuticals, rent, and utilities.
The Alzheimer’s Music Festival will benefit Stand Up For Seniors, also known as The Volunteer Aging Council. Stand Up For Seniors was established in 2000 to raise money and provide resources for low-income seniors and senior veterans in Cherokee County.
Zangaro considered caregivers’ financial situations while planning the festival. He’d been frustrated with ticket prices and fees for larger venues and ticketing platforms. He said, “This isn’t fair to caregivers. This is not fair to the people I want to come to my show.”
Zangaro was thrilled when Smith’s Olde Bar approached him, offering to host the festival with free parking and minimal fees.
“Smith’s Olde Bar is one of the most legendary music venues in Georgia,” he said.
The venue is an Atlanta staple known for hosting such artists as David Bowie, Bush, and Janelle Monae, to name a few.
Tickets start at $20 for admission to the Atlanta Room. For $60, festival goers can get admission to the Music Room, which includes performances from Glenn Phillips, The Producers and Zangaro himself. Combined tickets are $70 and cover admission for both rooms.
For tickets or more information, including the full musician schedule, visit alzheimersmusicfest.org.
For more about Stand Up for Seniors, visit vac-cherokeega.org.