Gears, beers, bands and more at Gear & Cheer Music festival in Bradys Run Park

All sorts of fresh air fun awaits July 19 at Bradys Run Park for the annual Gear & Cheer Music Festival.
Festivalgoers can take part in hiking, cycling, mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, cornhole and — new this year — paddle board yoga.
Bands will provide musical entertainment and vendors will sell food, arts and crafts, as visitors 21-and-older can partake in beer and wine tastings.
A 5K run and walk starts the festival at 9 a.m. (registration begins at 7:30 for $20). Activities continue until 6 p.m. for the third annual fundraiser for the Ohio River Trail, a planned bicycling/fitness trail that would run completely through Beaver County, linking the Montour Trail near Coraopolis to a trail system in Columbiana County, Ohio.
“It’s a fundraiser, but it’s also a nice community activity for the county,” Dr. Vincent Troia, organizer of Gear & Cheer and president of the Ohio River Trail Council, said. “There will be something for everybody. It’s a good chance to be outside to enjoy nature and get an appreciation for the environment. Bradys Run is a beautiful park. Some people don’t realize how nice it is.”
The music on a stage next to Bradys Run Lodge starts at 9 a.m. with DJ Grace & Rudy.
Other performers are Oakkao (rock) at 10:30 a.m., Large Brothers (rock) at 11:45 a.m., Olive Mountain (bluegrass) at 1 p.m., Eric Kerr (drummer-singer-songwriter) at 2:15 p.m. and Phunky Dead Fish, a West Virginia jam band at 3:30 p.m.
Another new feature this year is a speaker’s series featuring:
11 a.m. — Mario Leone Jr., Monaca Borough manager, “Sustainability & Gold Certified Communities.”
Noon — Fred Kraybill, representing Solarize Allegheny and Solar Unified Network of Western Pennsylvania, “Solar Energy Works for Western Pa.”
1 p.m. — Justin Rogers, planning manager, Mill Creek MetroParks, “The Buckeye State’s Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway.”
2 p.m. — Marjory Tobias, assistant professor of biology, Geneva College, “Benefits of Spending Time in Nature.”
3 p.m. — Robert Genter Jr., director, Mackin Engineering, “Bicycle Friendly Community Benefits.”
4 p.m. — Cindy Boff, physical therapist, Keystone Physical Therapy, “How to prevent tendonitis, back, neck and other injuries.”
Troia said there has been progress toward an Ohio River Trail since last year, including safety studies and planning. The trail would encompass existing roads and waterways and new paths for a multi-use trail along the Ohio River and its tributaries.