Naptown MusicFeast Offers A Smorgasbord Of Live Entertainment And Fun

After opening a large concert venue in South Florida around 2000, Cal Brockdorff got hooked on promoting live music and never looked back. He later got involved with the Vans Warped Tour and Outlaw Jam.

“It was a biker jam that had Mötley Crüe, Toby Keith, Bad and Company, and other bands,” Brockdorff said of Outlaw Jam.

Now, he is the promoter of a day-long music and food truck festival, Naptown MusicFeast, which will return to the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds in Crownsville on May 11.

The rain-or-shine event will benefit Anne Arundel County robotics clubs and will feature more than 20 food trucks serving barbecue, seafood, burgers, vegan options, Jamaican and Greek fare, cupcakes, ice cream and other specialties.

Katcef Brothers, the Annapolis-based Anhesuer-Busch InBev (AB InBev) beverage wholesaler, will provide the festival with beer, seltzers, canned cocktails and nonalcoholic beverages.

Naptown MusicFeast will also have over 30 vendors, a mechanical bull, a rock-climbing wall, bounce houses, face painting, arts and crafts and, of course, live music.

Bands will include Petty Coat Junction (Tom Petty tribute group), Son of Pirates (Jimmy Buffett beach music), Jah Works (reggae), The Regal Beagles (yacht rock), Sweet Leda (rock and soul), and Midnight Madnezz (Priddy Music Academy students).

Petty Coat Junction is fronted by Kirk McEwen, co-host of 98 Rock’s “Kirk and Marianne” radio show and “Ravens Gameday.” McEwen went to Old Mill High School and grew up in the Waterbury Heights community, five miles from the fairgrounds.

“When you get a chance to play at a fairground, that’s pretty big, bigger than any bar,” said McEwen, who is excited to perform in his hometown.

McEwen was in eighth or ninth grade when Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released the “Damn the Torpedoes” album, which included the songs “Refugee” and “Don’t Do Me Like That,” among others. Since people can’t see Tom Petty live anymore – he died in 2017 – seeing Petty Coat Junction locally is the next best thing.

“He’s a great American storyteller, like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Bob Seger,” McEwen said. “I put him in that same category. He tells good stories, with great melodies.”

Last year’s Naptown MusicFeast raised $2,500 to split between two Anne Arundel County robotics teams: Power Hawks Robotics Team 1111 (South River High School) and Team 9072, the TigerBots (Chesapeake Science Point).

Although the TigerBots were formed just two years ago, the team won its Severn district event, qualified for the FIRST Robotics Competition playoffs, won the Hopper Division, and placed fourth in the FIRST championship Einstein Playoffs on the weekend of April 20. Funds from Naptown MusicFeast and other fundraisers are a big help to the club.

“Robotics is an expensive endeavor,” said Sean Schneider, a TigerBots business media mentor and a parent of two kids in the club. “Between the parts and tools, computers, motors and everything that’s needed, it does take an investment.”

Students from the club will show off their skills at the music and food truck festival.

“Last year, the kids had a blast,” Schneider said. “Kids look forward to being there this year with (the activity), ring shooter. They will drive the robot in a limited space for the crowd. The team has a vision and mission, and part of that is to inspire (each other and others) to be their best selves through STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).”

Brockdorff is the neighbor of TigerBots founder David Kravets, an alumnus of Chesapeake Science Point. While taking his kids to some of the competitions, Brockdorff was impressed, and he decided to help through Naptown MusicFeast.

“Doing this event in conjunction with supporting the team was just a great opportunity to have a fun event and do community good at the same time,” Brockdorff said. “David mentioned what they were up against competing with some of these national teams that come from areas with heavier tech, defense or aerospace industries that give huge corporate donations to the robotics teams. Here, they've had a bit more challenge getting significant corporate support. The event doesn't raise a ton of money, but it all helps.”

McEwen is eager to support the cause and rock out. When asked what he hopes fans will take away from his band’s performance, he shared the story of a woman who recently traveled with her walker from Pasadena to Annapolis. She was in the crowd, partying.

“She can hardly get around, but she came to get down,” McEwen said. “Music gets into your body, and it keeps you alive. I hope people get to have that experience.”

The fun runs from noon to 10:00pm on May 11. Individual tickets for Naptown MusicFeast are $25. Discounts are offered for groups of four. Children under 12 can attend for free, but they must be accompanied by an adult with a ticket.

Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets. To learn more, visit www.naptownmusicfeast.com.