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Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti and Joe Shapiro, owner of Banko’s Music, signing an agreement for Banko’s Music Foundation to develop a summer music festival in 2018.
Ansonia’s summer concert event at Nolan Field will be managed next year by a nonprofit associated with a downtown music store, officials announced.
Proceeds from the event will go toward musical education in the Valley as part of a “public-private partnership” between the City of Ansonia and Banko’s Music Foundation, according to a prepared statement from the mayor’s office.
The foundation, an “offshoot” of the East Main Street Banko’s Music Store, will plan and coordinate the concert.
The concerts — first called “Summerfest,” then “Rock the Valley” — have been a fixture of Mayor David Cassetti’s administration since 2014, his first full year in office.
In the statement, Cassetti promised “a bigger and better summer music experience at less cost to the taxpayers.”
Banko’s, established in 1955, reopened in August under new owner Joe Shapiro.
“Mr. Shapiro should be commended for his efforts to breathe new life into a business that has long been a musical icon in the valley area,” Cassetti said in the statement. “The summer concert at Nolan Field has become a new tradition in Ansonia. The event stands to gain from the creative energy and musical expertise that Banko’s and Mr. Shapiro can offer.”
The concert is scheduled for July 28. More details will be announced later, the statement said.
The agreement between the city and Banko’s, which was discussed and approved by Aldermen at their monthly meeting Oct. 10, is below.
Ansonia Banko’s by The Valley Indy on Scribd
