A Whole Lot of Love-In Going On

Before you head to the beach, make sure to start off your Memorial Day Weekend by stopping by the Livingston Town Center for a day full of various music acts.

The second annual “Livingston Love-In” will take place Thursday, May 26 from 4 to 9 p.m. at the Livingston Town Center and feature 18 local bands on two stages for non-stop music.

Of the 18 local bands playing, pop-rock band “Reverse Order,” from Hackettstown will be headlining. Reverse Order has performed festivals such as Warped Tour and Bamboozle and has been featured on News 12 NJ and My 9 News.

In addition to Reverse Order, other notable bands performing include Livingston rock group “,” fresh off their performance at the Bamboozle Festival, and Livingston native, Dave Colicchio’s “,” who, just this month, released their debut EP.

The music only begins to scratch the surface of what the event has to offer. The festival will be set up like a street festival, closing off the entrance to the town center to cars so that in between the two stages, copious amounts of charities and school and community organizations will be able to set up tables along the sidewalks.

Amongst many others, Livingston Youth and Community Service (LYCS) and Livingston Advisory Committee for Disabilities (LACD), are two of the township organizations that will be offering information to people, specifically the local youth, about what they do and what kids and young adults can do to get involved and volunteer.

Organizations like these “revisit themes that never get old, that are important in life, like kindness and respect, and giving back to your community and to those in need,” which according to owner of and festival founder, Mo Menzel, is what the festival is all about. 

“The goal here is to promote a sense of community,” Mo said. “We need to show everyone we’re capable of doing great things as community whether it be teaming up to help local charities and organizations or keeping creativity alive through the arts.

Mo, who puts on open mic nights several times a month at her store located in the town center, believes that Livingston’s youth has a musical side that needs to be made known immediately.

“My point here is there is music being created in Livingston. To show we are creative and the arts are alive here,” Mo said. “Kids don’t have many places to go in Livingston let alone places to go and share openly their creativity and music.”

The idea of putting on an event such as the Love-In stemmed partially from neighboring towns’ events such as “Maplewoodstock,” a music festival featuring big name headliner “The Smithereens.” Even though the Love-In is only the second annual, everyone involved is more than confidant the line-up, with the latest up and coming local bands and headliners, will draw an audience that will solidify the Love-In as one of the top local festivals in New Jersey.

The Love-In, which is free to the whole public, encourages all of Livingston’s youth to come out and brings their friends in honor of Livingston’s 16th annual Youth Appreciation Week. Youth Appreciation Week organizer and president of the Healthy Community, Healthy Youth of Livingston, Inc, Alan Karpas, says “this event is very close to my heart.”

“There is a young energy to this event, in honor of Youth Appreciation Week, that I haven't experienced otherwise in many years,” Mo said. “I think that is what is unique about the "Love-In," or what I have gotten from it last year. It's fresh and all about the young people.”

According to Livingston High School Senior Class Officer, and member of the local music scene, Harley Montano, this event is much needed and just in time.

“There seems to be a general decrease in attention to these sort of events get and I wish I knew why,” Harley said about the annual LHS “Battle of the Bands,” an event that used to bring the community together. Attendance to such events has hit a low.

“The past couple years brought pretty low numbers. This year was slightly better though,” Harley said. “An event like [the Love-In] will be great to really help out the music scene.”

If you’re not sold by now to come out and show some love for your community, there will also be plenty of food including a Stewarts Root Beer stand and custom ice cream flavors developed by six teams of Livingston middle school students and Colaco’s Creamery. In addition to those delicious treats, there will plenty of other snacks and drinks such as kettle corn and lemonade.

Make sure to stop by and experience all the love Livingston has to offer. For more information visit http://hchylivingston.org, and for a list of all the bands playing and links to their music, visit the official Livingston Love-In Facebook page.