AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Brought to you by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi,
Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services,
and Midas of Annapolis & Pasadena
A tented affair held on the cusp of summer at Severna Park Taphouse, the 2nd annual Katherine’s Light Foundation Music Festival & Charity Event was a pure delight. The Festival had gotten underway at noon on June 14th and the amplified vocals, guitars and steady drum beat of one of the bands could be heard as we approached the Taphouse. We were greeted at the ticket table by volunteers Morgan Lindstrand, Amanda Shields, Caroline Barry Kwash and Toni Trombetti McAllister and handed a list of all 13 bands appearing at the event.
The Katherine’s Light Foundation Music Festival & Charity Event honors the memory of Katherine Mueller and raises funds for the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation and three related organizations – the Wellness House of Annapolis, Anne Arundel Community College where KLF funds a Katherine Mueller Nursing Scholarship and a Baltimore Washington Medical Center Foundation fund to help cancer patients who can’t afford transportation, food or medications to help with their treatment.
Moving through the Taphouse and outdoors to the terrace to enter the event, it became clear what festival producer Larry Sells meant when he said there were so many sponsors to thank that he’d have a hard time mentioning them all. An easy solution was to list all 55 sponsors on a poster attached to the outdoor railing.
Photos by Sharon Lee Tegler
From the outdoor bar and porches to the shady nooks surrounding the stage, fans could be seen enjoying the rock and blues-based sounds of the bands while sipping cool drinks or having a bite to eat.
We soon noticed that Katherine Mueller’s aunt Cynthia and uncle Sandy McWilliams had migrated to the stage below and settled on a comfy couch. They had driven four hours from New Jersey to celebrate Katherine’s fundraiser.
Photo courtesy of Robin Sells.
Though officially the second annual Katherine’s Light Foundation Music Festival & Charity Event honoring the memory of Katherine Mueller, it was actually the third such event according to her mother Robin Sells.
“The event began as a fundraiser for Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation,” Robin said. “Katherine was diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumor cancer in November of 2018. By January of 2019, she felt the need to be proactive about her diagnosis. My husband Larry suggested a fundraiser which the two of them miraculously brought to fruition by June of 2019 with the support of family, friends and the community. It was called “Fight NET Cancer with Katherine.”
Robin added that the 2020 and 2021 fundraisers were skipped due to Covid and Katherine recovering from a liver transplant and pancreatectomy in March of 2021.
“Katherine passed away on December 27 of 2021 and we were too heartbroken to have a full -sized music festival in 2022,” she said. “However, Larry and I hosted a fundraiser for the Baltimore Washington Medical Center Foundation in July of 2022 and raised $20,000. That was prior to our forming our foundation.”
It wasn’t until June of 2023 that The Katherine’s Light Foundation became an official 501 (C) 3, LLC, non-profit organization. On Dec 1, 2023, the foundation’s first fundraiser took place at the Severna Park Tap House, featuring Chad Bearden and Raising $22,000.
On Saturday, June 15, 2024, the first annual Katherine’s Light Foundation Music Festival took place at the Severna Park Tap House headlined, for the first time, by The Crayfish. The all-volunteer organization raised $100,000 and donated the funds, in their entirety to the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation and three other cancer-related charities.
This year, at the second annual Katherine’s Light Foundation Music Festival, it was fun looking down on the stage during the performance of popular local band Honey Sol, with Priddy Music Academy owner Lee Priddy on guitar, daughter Mackenzie on bass and vocals and son Andrew on drums.
When we’d arrived at the festival, a group called The Grateful Dads was finishing their set before Honey Sol took the stage. We caught up with the group later surrounded by a convivial circle of friends and fans. We enjoyed chatting with “Dads” Bob Machin, Jim Cropper and Jim Menendez. They told us they were happy to have been invited back to the music festival this year for the second time and thoroughly enjoyed entertaining the crowd.
“We’re so pleased to be part of this wonderful event. It’s for such a good cause,” Machin said.
Between bands’ appearances, DJ Brian Doane (Katherine’s brother) spun a mighty fine mix of tunes from beneath a tent provided by event sponsor Landmark Roofing. Those tuneful interludes provided parents a bit of time to focus solely their kids. It was amazing to see how many families with children attended this second music festival.
According to the Sells, many of Katherine and husband Matt’s friends now have a child or two so they really weren’t surprised. They are enjoying watching them grow up.
The little ones seemed to like the music and found a number of ways to entertain themselves in the shade of the big tent.
The music festival is entirely a volunteer endeavor and, as one can imagine, involves a lot of planning and hard work by KLF board members and supporters. Larry Sells asked them to come to the stage to be introduced. They included, left to right, guitarist George Evans who “makes the music happen,” Lee Priddy who creates all the sound systems, DJ Brian Austin (Doane), son-in-law Matt Mueller, board secretary Susan Payson from North Carolina, Michael Hall, social media manager Amanda Shields, Robin Sells, brother-in-law Sandy McWilliams and Jessica Tinordi who owns Severna Park Taphouse along with husband Mark.
Time flew by and there seemed to be an air of anticipation as set ups for next band to take the stage took place. Perhaps concertgoers had seen the outdoor display of the next artist to appear. We noticed that more people were moving toward the stage area.
Maryland State Delegate Heather Bagnall and her husband Luke arrived at their seats bearing plates of Severna Park Taphouse fare.
We spotted Stacey Cassidy, the owner of Savvy Consignment, a sponsor for the event and the eventual winning bidder for a Greenworks Electric Minibike. Stacey was just back from vacation and sporting a marvelous tan.
A minute or two later, we spotted Park Hardware owner Rick Miller who had donated the Greenworks Electric Minibike that Stacey Cassidy won.
At last, the moment arrived for the country/western artist Larry Sells proclaimed “the next great thing out of Nashville”, Miggs Rangel and his band to take the stage.
The band was warmly received. In fact, the audience loved them. Their set was a nice mix of country favorites, and up-tempo tunes that had some audience members dancing in the aisles. A veteran with three deployments behind him, Rangel dedicated songs to the 250th Anniversary of the Army on Flag Day and to fathers, past and present, in honor of Father’s Day.
We noticed that Lee Priddy and his wife Tricia were enjoying the set immensely as were Wellness House of Annapolis executive director Mary Jermann, her son Marshall Kaputsos and friend Kevin McNulty.
There was still more to come. We slipped inside the Taphouse for a moment where we found volunteers Robin Mohns (seen below) and Bernie Snoops minding the Raffle and Silent Auction tables with just a few more minutes to go. Mohns’ Midas of Severna Park & Annapolis is a sponsor and she is also president of the Chris Gives Foundation which has its own music festival event coming up at Severna Park Taphouse next weekend. (See reminder below.) A short time later, as Rangel’s set ended, Larry Sells took the stage to announce the winners of both the Raffles and the Silent Auction. As can be seen from the photo below, there was a very long list of them.
At long last it was time to bring on the headliners, The Crayfish, who can be seen in the opening photo with Sells. Wildly popular with the crowd for their humor as well as for their unique brand of blues, The Crayfish were back for the second time due to popular demand. The band members, seen left to right in that photo are John Hall, Jimmy Marcos, Dave Hineman, leader Terry Glaze and Ray Rurik.
Thanks to The Crayfish’s dynamic performance, the second annual Katherine’s Light Foundation Music Festival & Charity Event ended on a high note. Donations were still flooding in as the festival ended and for several days thereafter. We’ll keep you posted when the board announces how much money was raised. Meanwhile, you can follow the activities of Katherine’s Light Foundation, LLC by visiting Katherine’s Light Foundation (katherineslight.org)
A Reminder: Chris Gives Foundation Music Festival at Severna Park Taphouse June 21st
The Chris Gives Foundation‘s 2nd annual Music Festival, featuring bands Genghis Kahn and 8-Ball Deluxe, will be held this Saturday, June 21 from noon to 10 pm at the Severna Park Taphouse at 58 W. Earleigh Heights Road.
There will be a silent auction, raffle baskets, door prizes, and a 50/50. Proceeds raised for the Chris Gives Foundation will fund critical auto repairs for needy families and scholarships or tools for students studying to become auto repair technicians.
The foundation’s president Robin Mohns noted that the music festival will be emceed by Larry Sells.
For tickets visit Chris Gives Music Event | Facebook.
The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility whilereducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!
and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.
And Midas of Annapolis and Pasadena, A family- owned business with four locations (Annapolis, Pasadena, Laurel and Wheaton). With 40 years’ experience and the backing of a national brand, they are committed to earning customers’ trust by offering the expertise, value and responsiveness drivers expect – “every time they visit us.”
Great article Sharon. Thank you.