MOUNT VERNON – Twenty Central Ohio bands and solo musicians will take five stages in downtown Mount Vernon during the Flip the 12th music festival on Saturday.
Offbeat Agent is sponsoring the free event, scheduled from 3 to 9 p.m. Bands will perform on stages around Public Square, as well as at Happy Street Brü Werks, at 209 S. Gay St.
Main stage acts include Cedars Brothers, Imber Solis, Jeff Tobin and the 1099s, Low T, Sarah Cowan, Takes a Village, The Fronks, and Victorious KayBirds. Visit commongoodcoalitionoh.org for a complete list of performers and food trucks.
The Common Good Coalition (CGC) organized the event. The CGC is a grassroots political action community working to promote engagement and collaboration between progressive groups and candidates in Ohio’s 12th congressional district.
The festival is part of the larger Get Out the Vote tour organized by The CGC, which included similar events in Coshocton, Lancaster, and Newark through June and early July.
Main stage bands will play hour-long sets, while performers on three separate acoustic stages will get 30 minutes each. Public Square will host one of the main stages and two of the acoustic stages.
Happy Street will use its outdoor stage as the second main stage and its indoor stage for acoustic acts.
Music genres include country, folk, rock, and Americana. Most performers are from the 12th District.
Connecting with Democrat candidates
Although the music is the main attraction, event organizer and coalition leader Chris Robinson said the goal is to give residents a chance to network, mobilize, and connect with Democrat candidates running for office.
“Folks aren’t sure of what they can do to get involved. Our idea was to hold a fun event that
people want to go to, then bring in the politics,” Robinson said. “Here’s an event where you can actually get a chance to meet people who are running.”
Along with the music, candidates will hold “office hours” at the event to meet with attendees, discuss their ideas, and answer questions. Happy Street will also host an hour-long meet-and-greet with candidates on its indoors stage.
Robinson said interest from bands was high, so The CGC decided to organize four separate
music events in rural towns in the district, ending with the largest event in Mount Vernon.
“Gerrymandering has done tremendous harm to Ohio and to our country. We’re glad to do
whatever we can do to help right this terrible wrong,” said Jeff Tobin of Jeff Tobin and the 1099s.
Robinson said The CGC hopes to continue its efforts with more events as election season continues. While they will likely be smaller and more politically focused than the Flip the 12th music festival, local music will always be a part of them.
“We’re just trying to put on events that people want to go to and foster collaboration with
progressive groups across all 11 counties in the district,” he said.
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