By Nathan Leakway

YORK College of Pennsylvania has partnered with The York Revolution to host the inaugural White Rose Music Fest on Friday, Oct. 7, and Saturday Oct. 8, at PeoplesBank Park.  The event, which will feature global touring acts, is a continuation of a pre-existing relationship between York College of Pennsylvania and the York Revolution.

In an email to students and alumni, YCP President Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith described the festival lineup as “world class.” Artists set to make an appearance at PeoplesBank Park include Jamey Johnson, Langhorne Slim, Grace Potter, and Lucero.

Here is a link to the basic information of the event and bio information on the performers. The concerts will start at 4:30 Friday afternoon and 2:30 on Saturday.

Weekend passes start at $100 and go as high as $1000 for the “Royal VIP” experience.  YCP students will be able to purchase tickets at the discounted price of $25 per day.

Shuttles to the stadium downtown will be available for all YCP students, staff, and alumni.  Pick-up and drop-off is at the shuttle stop by the west campus commuter lot.  Students who live off campus may park in the lot and utilize the shuttle. Shuttles leave every 30 minutes starting at 3 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

For Doug Eppler, director of marketing and communications for the Revs since 2016, the collaboration is the next step in a relationship the team has had with YCP since its founding in 2006.

“We have long welcomed the support of York College students during our baseball season via internships in many of the Revolution’s departments, including marketing, sales, ticketing, and operations,” said Eppler.  “This partnership extends that relationship and is intended to create another terrific event for the York area.”

Eppler told The Spartan that he hopes the music festival will help to “promote the college as a world-class institution… provide hands-on learning opportunities for York College students, and highlight the college’s support of arts and culture.”

These hopes are in line with the goals of those working here on campus at the Office of Alumni Relations.  “We are always working to connect with the community,” says Kristen Gurreri, senior director of college development.  “This event was a great opportunity to do that.  Through this partnership we are able to bring world-class performers to the City of York.”

Gurreri and her colleagues at Alumni Relations have been working to promote the White Rose Music Fest.  So far, they have advertised on social media and reached out to a network of around 36,000 alumni.  YCP also recently secured a grant from Explore York, the official tourist agency for York County, to purchase 17 billboards around Pennsylvania and New Jersey to promote the event, she said.

Fall Break begins on Oct. 7, the first day of the festival, and many students will be leaving campus until classes resume on the 12th.  While not directly involved in the decision to hold the event during break, Gurreri said that her office has been working with Student Affairs “to ensure the residence halls remained open so students could stay on campus.”

Students unable to attend will have future opportunities to see live music at PeoplesBank park courtesy of YCP’s relationship with The York Revolution.  “The White Rose Music Festival is a multi-year partnership,” said Eppler.  “We’ll be working together on music festivals for the next few years.”

To hear what students are saying about The White Rose Music Festival, check out this week’s Word on Campus.

Nathan Leakway is a sophomore majoring in Professional Writing.

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