Lennon Fest gets back to where it’s long belonged

Everyone's favorite local Beatles' cover song festival, The Lennon Fest, returns this Saturday for its 14^th year. Local bands will perform classic Beatles' songs in the Public House of Jackie O's starting at 7 p.m. and at the Union Bar & Grill starting at 9 p.m.

Eric Leighton, aka Junebug, created the event in 2000 to honor the late John Lennon along with a friend and local musician John Bartlett, known as Johnny B. Both Lennon and Bartlett died in December of different years. Lennon Fest quickly became an annual touchstone of the local music scene. The event serves as a fundraiser for The Johnny B Fund, which helps support young, aspiring artists pay for music lessons. The fest has grown over the years, Leighton said. It now brings in at least $1,000 for The Johnny B Fund each year. Leighton said this year's fest will bring the same positive vibes it has always carried. A variety of bands, including the Lennon Orchestra, Broken Ring and Controlled Folly will perform at the event. "The students are cramming for exams, and the musicians are all cramming for Lennon Fest," Leighton said.

Read more on this story......

Source: Athens News, OH