Ten years ago, John Vezmar had the vision of offering a two-hour Beatles Tribute Show at his small business, Blue Room Cafe on Highway Avenue in Highland.
Little did he know that first venue, with two bands and 75 people attending, would grow into an annual, nine-hour event welcoming almost a dozen bands and thousands of visitors.
“This is absolutely amazing,” he said of the huge crowd in attendance at this year’s recent 10th annual Beatles Fest at the current Blue Room location in downtown Hammond. “We didn’t have a plan for anything more than that first show, but it has turned into something phenomenal.”
Indeed, both local bands and tribute bands, performed all day for fans traveling from many states.
“We live in New Buffalo (Mich.), but never miss this get-together,” said Kerri Sue Jaxson, a former Hammond resident. “We are die-hard, old school Beatles fans, so no distance is too far to come.”
Armed with comfy lawn chairs, and blankets to ward off the upcoming evening’s chill, Ray Moore, of Chesterton, and friends Heather and Ron Huckelby, also of Chesterton, were among the first group to come through the gates.
“We grew up with this music – it never goes out of style,” Moore said, as he picked a shady spot under a tall evergreen tree. “It’s legendary.”
Beatles Fest has traditionally been promoted by Vezmar Media Group as an all-ages concert, suitable for family fun.
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And during the past 10 years, extra vendors were added, as well as a Children’s Stage. The latter found many performances for the kids this year.
A sidewalk art contest, magician, puppet show and other activities took place throughout the day-long event.
Also for Beatles fans, a raffle for a wooden guitar sculpture, designed by artist Chris Klocek, was offered by Dave Mueller of the Paul Henry Gallery in downtown Hammond.
“I just have to have this piece of art,” said Susan Scheldberg, of Griffith, as she purchased a raffle ticket. “I have quite a few unusual items in my Beatles collection, but nothing like this. It looks just like George’s (Harrison) guitar.”
As the first band of the day – the Rooftop Beatles – began their set, the Goodman family of Merrillville settled in with their beverages, snacks, and new T-shirts. “We’ve been coming to Beatles Fest for the whole 10 years. You’ll never see anything at all like this anywhere else,” Jerry Goodman said. “I got my kids interested in the Fab Four a long time ago, and now my grandkids are into them as well. Their music is never-ending, it goes on and on and on.”
Indeed, as it did the night of this year’s Beatles Fest, with music continuing till almost midnight.
After the sun went down, a light show with some snippets of Beatles cartoons was played as the background for the band Beatolution, who set up their stage in front of the old Rothschild Building.
The oohs and aahs from the crowd were not just from the kids present, but the adults as well. Almost everyone in the audience was up and dancing, even the little ones were rushing the stage.
“That’s pretty creative, shooting the images on that building,” said Darrin Leetz of Merrillville “We’re definitely getting our money’s worth tonight with this whole show. And our kids are dancing their heads off.”
In addition to the Rooftop Beatles and Beatolution, other bands performing at the fest included Paul Henry’s Jam Band, Rocket Boat, Josh McCormick, Rising Dawn, Nomad Planters, Yoko Banjo, and Mega Beatles.
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.