One of the many joys of summer is taking in some of the numerous local hometown festivals in our region. Cambria County features a number of these events – including the annual Patton Firemen’s Jubilee. This year’s event, the 16th annual, took place on July 4th weekend along portions of Magee Avenue in downtown Patton.
I attended on the first night (Friday) to take in some tasty food from the firehall and enjoy the live music doubleheader. The Jubilee was in full progress, with a “Jeepin’ Jamboree” along Magee Street for jeep fans and a cornhole court taking place in the Dollar General parking lot. After grabbing a cheeseburger, fries and soda inside the firehall, I procured a spot along the street to take in the music.
Starting things off was young singer, songwriter and acoustic guitarist Asher Fieni. This 16-year-old performer sounded very good as he blended original songs and acoustic-flavored favorites with an emphasis on country and southern rock. Asher displayed a smooth voice and friendly persona as he did tunes from the Judds, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton, the Eagles, the Allman Brothers and more. He also pulled a few musical surprises, offering up an acoustic version of Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” Sublime’s “Santeria” and a guitar rendition of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”
Soon after Asher finished, the Patton street party got under way with popular Pittsburgh dance-rock foursome Metro. Since it was July 4th weekend, Metro – lead singer Elisha Costello, lead singer and bassist Chris Caruso, lead guitarist Ron McBurney and new drummer Zach Hrip – led off their first of three sets with a pair of patriotic songs, with Elisha and Ron doing solo vocal and guitar renditions of “The Star Spangled Banner,” followed by Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Then the street party started, appropriately enough, with Pink’s “Get the Party Started.” Metro quickly filled Magee Avenue with dancers as they played upbeat hits and favorites from Prince, Big & Rich, Tom Petty, Katrina & the Waves and more. With the setting of the sun, Metro then took a break during which a July 4th fireworks display took place nearby.
Afterward, Metro returned for two more sets of fun tunes, firing the party back up with hits from Miley Cyrus, Shania Twain, Neil Diamond, Grand Funk Railroad, the Outfield, B-52s, Bryan Adams, Jimmy Eat World, Kenny Loggins and more. Michael Jackson and more. The group kept the music constant and the audience engaged; by their third set they had the crowd happily singing along on Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” plus songs from Autograph, Luke Bryan, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Walk The Moon and more – leading up to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” to finish the last set. But when the Patton revelers quickly yelled out for one more song, Metro responded with John Mellencamp’s “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” to conclude the street party.
This was an enjoyable summer evening, and it was fun watching this crowd getting down and having a good time! Hats off to the Patton Fire Company for another fun Jubilee, and for all the services you provide to the Patton community!
