Free music festival coming to Bug Light Park
Marc Chillemi has spent more than two decades walking through Bug Light Park in South Portland with his wife and daughter, imagining something bigger. On Sept. 13, that vision finally becomes real.
Chillemi, a South Portland resident and professional trumpeter, is launching Brass Roots Fest, a free, one-day music festival at the waterfront park. The event runs from noon to 7 p.m. and is produced by his company, Brass Roots Production.
The lineup centers on what Chillemi calls "horn forward" music drawn from traditions around the globe. Performers include Kotoko Brass, a group that blends Ghanaian drumming with Caribbean bass and New Orleans-style horns; Primo Cubana, Chillemi's own Cuban improvisation band; and Roots, Rhythm & Dub, a reggae fusion act.
But music is only part of the plan. Chillemi has also booked visual artists and food trucks, and he sees the festival as a starting point rather than a finished product. His ambition is to grow it into an annual event that showcases not just music and dance, but also sculpture, theater and performance art.
"All of this is a proof of concept," Chillemi said. "We're going to make mistakes. We're going to learn. And that's what I'm excited about."
He has planned for a crowd of about 500 and is hopeful as many as 1,000 people will show up. To handle logistics, he has worked with city staff on trash and recycling, restroom placement and traffic flow. Southern Maine Community College is offering free parking for the day. Chillemi is also encouraging visitors to arrive by bicycle, kayak, sailboat or on foot. Lighthouse Bicycle is organizing a group ride during the festival, and Chillemi said he is trying to line up a kayak tour as well. Boaters will be welcome to anchor near the shore.
The event has drawn broad local support. The city's Parks and Recreation Department funded temporary bathrooms, the Human Rights Commission paid for two police officers to be on duty, and the Public Arts Committee provided grants to help cover local musicians. Nearly 30 local businesses have donated to make the festival possible. To keep admission free, Chillemi will collect donations at the gate and raffle off gift cards. The nonprofit Equal Measure Arts, which works to make music education and recording more accessible, also provided financial backing.
South Portland Mayor Elyse Tipton welcomed the event. "It's exactly the kind of joyful, community-developing event that our beloved Bug Light Park is a wonderful place for," she said.
Chillemi, who picked up the trumpet at age 10, has spent nearly four decades playing clubs, festivals and private gigs, leading bands and promoting musicians. He has toured across the country and abroad and built a network of local performers. Putting on a festival, he said, has required a different set of skills.
For months, he has visited the park daily, sometimes lying in the grass with his eyes closed, running through the scene in his mind.
"I'm a visionary," he said. "I see it completed and then I work backwards. That's how I create things."
In a couple of weeks, he will get to see whether the reality matches the picture in his head.
Brass Roots Fest runs noon to 7 p.m. Sept. 13 at Bug Light Park in South Portland. Admission is free. More information is available at creativeportland.com/events/brass-roots-fest.
