Monessen hosts Raise Your Voice Festival
Courtesy of Matthew Shorraw
Punchline performs at Monessen Amphitheater Saturday as part of the 10th Annual Raise Your Voice Festival.
Courtesy of Matthew Shorraw
The crowd gathers to hear music at the Monessen Amphitheater.
Courtesy of Matthew Shorraw
Karla Spangler, amphitheater secretary/treasurer, poses with the festival banner.
Courtesy of Matthew Shorraw
Festival coordinators, Matt Shorraw, left, and Linzi Troilo introduce Punchline.
The 10th Annual Raise Your Voice Festival was held Saturday as part of Monessen’s yearlong 125th Anniversary Celebrations. Nine local bands were featured, with food vendors, businesses, and organizations all taking part in the celebration. One of the bands, Punchline, has been a Pittsburgh area band for more than 25 years, and has toured with Fall Out Boy, Gin Blossoms and Less Than Jake. Punchline was founded in Belle Vernon, but Saturday marked the band’s first show in the Mon Valley in more than 10 years. Several hundred people brought chairs, blankets, hammocks, and snacks to Monessen City Park Amphitheater to hear Punchline and the other bands. The event was sponsored by numerous local businesses and presented by the Monessen Amphitheater Committee, a local nonprofit whose aim is to promote use of the amphitheater.