Middletown Rocks ‘event of the year’ has a local lineup of performers

This year, there is a goal of $50,000, with $13,561.64 already raised through ticket sales and donations.

“We hope to be able to pack the Sorg theater,” said Verlena Stewart, executive director of the Community Building Institute, or CBI, which puts on the event.

Founded in 2009, CBI is a local non-profit organization operating out of the Robert “Sonny” Hill Community Center. It provides “cradle to career” programming, according to Stewart.

This includes early education; K-12 after-school, which serves around 300 kids; and workforce development programs.

Proceeds from CBI’s fundraising events, including its annual Turkey Trot, support all programming in addition to grants.

Middletown Rocks’ initial purpose was to get the “community invested” in CBI’s mission.

“We do really good work here at CBI...and we needed all of the community to be apart of that concept and change,” Stewart said.

To support this, professionals in the community will come out and perform at the city’s historic Sorg Opera House with an accompanying live band, Live Your Dream.

“They get up on stage and rock it out,” Stewart said.

Seven community leaders will be performing this year:

The first year of Middletown Rocks, CBI went out and recruited performers. The second year and this year, Stewart said, many have asked to perform and be part of the program.

Each performer has a page on CBI’s site where community members can donate under their name with a goal of $2,000 per performer. Whichever performer raises the most money earns the title of Middletown Rocks’ “Showstopper.”

There will also be a youth showcase and a tribute to Zapp’s Roger Troutman and the band itself, a funk group out of Hamilton popular in the late 1970s until it disbanded in 1999.

“The concept behind that is to continue to encourage our kids to believe in themselves and to chase their dreams,” Stewart said.

Concert general admission tickets are $60, and there is a VIP event beforehand at The Windamere for $85, which includes admission to the concert and dinner.

The VIP event begins at 5 p.m. and the concert at 7 p.m.

If for any reason the price point is not affordable, Stewart encourages community members to reach out to CBI.

“Our goal is to have people know more about our programs, invest in our mission and experience this awesome event with us, so we will work to get you there,” Stewart said.