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June 21 Release (LONG_June_21_Release.pdf) 284K

June 21 Calendar Listing (LONG_June_21_Cal_Lstg.pdf) 56K

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“America’s Greatest Party Band” Returning for Third Time to Long’s Park Amphitheater June 21, 2009.

LANCASTER, PA -- When the programming committee of the Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation put Buckwheat Zydeco on its lineup for their 47th annual Long’s Park Summer Music Series, it spoke volumes about how much their audiences have liked this band. After all, it will be the third appearance of “one of the greatest party bands in America” (The New York Times). The party will begin Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 7:30 pm.

Four-time Grammy nominee Buckwheat Zydeco will take center stage as part of his 30th anniversary tour. Hailed as the first band to bring zydeco mainstream, Buckwheat and his band have been featured on David Letterman, the “Today Show,” “NBC Nightly News,” “CBS Morning News,” MTV, the BBC and National Public Radio.

Buckwheat Zydeco’s appearance at Long’s Park will be sponsored by Lancaster Sunday News.

"[Buckwheat] can pump out zydeco two-beats or shift into rolling 12-bar blues, steaming all the way,” wrote The New York Times. The Daily Freeman would say that zydeco is just what this economy calls for: “Rock ‘n roll might save your soul, but if you just plain want to feel good, zydeco is the answer, and Buckwheat Zydeco reigns supreme.” The Buffalo News says Buckwheat has taken “zydeco places it’s never been before - onto a national record label, into football stadiums, rock concerts [and] MTV.”

Over three billion people have partied worldwide with Buckwheat Zydeco. Buckwheat and his band have recorded 15 albums and performed on stages and at festivals around the globe. From the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and on stage with the Boston Pops, they’ve been entertaining audiences for three decades.

After years of playing keyboards for the likes of Joe Tex, Barbara Lynn and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Buckwheat got his start as an R&B band known as Buckwheat and the Hitchhikers. A gig playing organ for the King of Zydeco, the late Clifton Chenier, changed his tune. After three years of touring and recording, Buckwheat formed Buckwheat Zydeco, where he continues to draw from his rich musical experience with Chenier and blend traditional Creole zydeco with the latest black contemporary styles.

The Long’s Park Summer Music Series is produced and underwritten by the Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation. Thanks to generous sponsors, private donors and proceeds of the Labor Day weekend Long’s Park Art & Craft Festival, admission and parking are free. Sponsors of the 2009 season are Lancaster General and Susquehanna Bank. Season media sponsors are WARM 103 and 96.1 WSOX. Weather sponsor of the Series is WGAL-TV.

Stevens & Lee and Griffin Financial Group are sponsoring the 2009 Long’s Park Art & Craft Festival.

Long’s Park concertgoers are invited to bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs to the
park. A selection of food purveyors will also be in the park, offering a complete meal’s
worth of family foods and desserts. Long’s Park is an alcohol-free park.

Long’s Park is conveniently located at 1441 Harrisburg Pike in Lancaster, just off Route 30 across from Park City Center. All performances are held rain or shine, except in the case of dangerously inclement weather.

Additional information and links to musical previews of Long’s Park’s performers can be found at www.longspark.org or on Facebook. For details on corporate sponsorships of the Long’s Park Summer Music Series and to learn how to make individual and corporate contributions, contact the Long’s Park Amphitheater Foundation at www.longspark.org.