Electrifying music to kick off fireworks at this year’s Tioga County Fair!

Electrifying music to kick off fireworks at this year’s Tioga County Fair!Pictured, Wreckless Marci will perform at the grandstands at the Tioga County Fair on Aug. 12, with the show starting at 7 p.m. Here, the band is pictured prior to a previous performance at Owego’s Strawberry Festival Block Party. Provided photo.

Get ready for some electrifying music and fireworks on Thursday evening, Aug. 12, at the 2021 Tioga County Fair, which runs from Aug. 10-14 at the Tioga County Fairgrounds in Owego, N.Y.

The Fair welcomes one of the region’s most popular bands, Wreckless Marci, to the grandstand stage. Wreckless Marci will take the stage at 7 p.m. and usher in the fireworks show set to start shortly after 9 p.m. 

Opening for Wreckless Marci will be regional artist and fan favorite Tim Ruffo, who will heat up the stage with his outlaw country rock at 6 p.m. with a solo performance.

Fairgoers can attend the concert for free with the $10 all-inclusive gate fee.

Wreckless Marci, comprised of lead guitarist, Craig Palmer, drummer Matt Jensen, bass player Mark Sedlock and lead vocalist and guitarist, Sonny Weeks, will perform songs from rock to rap to country, and everything in between.  The range of genres Marci delivers shows off their eclectic edge and results in a one-of-a-kind mix.

The band has quickly booked up the summer months and beyond. Yet, Weeks said he isn’t taking it lightly, and especially following the heart of the pandemic.

“We all had no choice over the past year, so I’m very grateful now [to be able to get out their and perform],” Weeks remarked, adding that he’s eager and thankful for the opportunity today, and that, “My passion is performing in front of people.”

Weeks started singing and playing live music as a teen, and has since been Marci’s frontman for ten years. Last year Wreckless Marci played several Facebook Live shows, but also used the down time to take a break, spend time with family, and reflect.   

Weeks is looking forward to the Tioga County Fair, and especially performing in front of a larger audience.

Weeks hopes that many who have attended their Strawberry Festival Block Party shows in the past will be able to come, and said, “I promise this will be one of our best shows.” 

The band’s music, Weeks added, is for all ages, too. He enjoys seeing young people in the crowd who otherwise aren’t allowed in at certain venues due to their age.

Weeks shared a story about a young woman who approached him at a recent show. She is now preparing for college and first experienced a Wreckless Marci live show several years ago, and as a young teen.

Weeks explained, “[I felt] very inspired that she has followed us ever since,” and shared it as just one example of how the band has made a connection with their fans through the years. 

Since live music has picked back up, Tim Ruffo has had a busy schedule at multiple venues. His band, the Tim Ruffo Band, will play limited shows this year.

Ruffo’s personal experiences resonate in his music, such as feelings of hope, old friends, lost love, and survival.

Electrifying music to kick off fireworks at this year’s Tioga County Fair!

Pictured is Tim Ruffo, who will heat up the stage with his outlaw country rock at 6 p.m. with a solo performance on Aug. 12 at the grandstands. Photo credit: Michelle Morningstar.

Surviving during the heart of the pandemic period inspired Ruffo to keep connected with his fans by performing live at home, and what he coined as, “Facebook Fridays.”  

It ended up being the best solution at the time, however when the camera clicked off, he felt something was missing. Ruffo said he really missed the one-on-one interaction with fans, like the hugs, the handshakes and the conversations.

At one point, Ruffo sent out a Facebook message asking his followers, “So how are you feeling?”

Some of the responses, he commented, “Were feelings of confusion and being scared, mad and uncomfortable,” among others.

So, in turn, he put together an unplanned yet extremely creative way to connect with those fans. He wrote down their responses, eight pages in total, and then taped them to a wall surrounding his makeshift home stage. At a subsequent Facebook Friday session, he composed an impromptu song by compiling together everyone’s feelings, and then sang it live. 

Ruffo summed up the message of that moment, “And that’s the beauty about music, it’s healing and it’s healthy,” and a message he carries through at each performance.

Ruffo is pleased to open the Tioga County Fair show, and said, “I enjoy the intimacy of a solo show.”

Ruffo remarked that he plans to play “upbeat, positive songs, the kind that makes everyone feel good;” songs that comprise a blend of his original music along with country and rock cover tunes.

 “It will be good energy,” he added.

For more information about the Tioga County Fair, visit their website, www.tiogacofair.com or find them on Facebook.

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