If you’d like to show some solidarity with the people still struggling after the disastrous 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment in the working-class village of East Palestine, Ohio, you can do so Saturday, Oct. 4, by heading to Rochester, Pennsylvania.
“Back on Track: A Concert for Our Neighbors” brings a number of local bands and singers to the Rochester Riverfront Park for an event that runs from 3 to 10 p.m. The concert is sponsored by Ohio Valley Derailment Mutual Aid in partnership with Food & Water Watch Pennsylvania and Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community.
Headlining the event is Reuben’s Painted Mandolin, a tribute to the Jerry Garcia Band. Others include Beaver County’s David Granati; Tarra Layne, an alumnus of “The Voice” and Recording Academy member; funk band Mean Blue Planets; and Beaver County singer-songwriter Jenah Shank.
We bumped into Layne a few days ago — she lives not far from a Pittsburgh Union Progress staffer. She said she jumped at the chance to help out.
“I have a bit of a soft spot for small communities hit by catastrophes like this, especially communities that are underfunded and underrepresented,” she said. “It blows my mind that they’re still facing obstacles with the cleanup and in dealing with health issues.”
Tickets to the event are $20 at the gate, $15 presale, $5 for children under 13 at https://givebutter.com/OVDMABackOnTrack.
The event will include a number of vendors and food trucks. All proceeds from the concert directly benefit OVDMA’s relief fund for affected residents in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
“The residents of East Palestine have been stabbed and scammed so many times they trust nobody,” said Mike Stout, a longtime labor activist and musician who founded OVDMA. “This is the time for long-distance runners, not sprinters. We are here for the long haul, and this concert is our way of letting the community know who we are and what we’re about.”
The idea for the concert emerged from residents themselves struggling with health and financial issues related to the rail disaster. They brought the idea to OVDMA to help bring it together.
Eric “Pappy” Weingrad, guitarist and lead singer of Reuben’s Painted Mandolin, said he’s familiar with the affected areas, and when he saw the damage caused by the derailment, “My heart immediately went out to this small town … I feel anything that we can do to help bring some joy into that town — as the federal government and the state have not done nearly enough to help — I’m happy to do it.”
Ashley McCollum moved out of East Palestine immediately after the derailment and has not returned because she fears her house remains toxic. She’s helped organize the event and has been moved by the those who’ve stepped up to support the concert and help those still struggling with health and financial issues tied to the derailment. Much of that support has come from Beaver County’s Rochester, nearly 20 miles from the derailment site — an indication that concerns over the long-term implications from the crash extend well beyond East Palestine. “It was amazing to see how all of the small business came together in Rochester to help support us,” she said. “There are so many great people who touched our hearts.”
The PUP is the publication of the striking workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
