Haus of Greta Parking Lot Party Poised to Make History

Since forming their first band as Frankenmuth teenagers back in 2012, Greta Van Fleet has made an undeniable impact upon the world of contemporary rock music. With their debut single “Highway Tune” released in 2017 and subsequent Grammy award winning albums, the group quickly gained a massive following, becoming one of the most successful Rock bands to emerge from their generation thanks to a lucrative and relentless touring schedule, impressive endorsement deals, and a strong creative focus.

While the band will unfortunately not be on the bill, the 4^th Annual Haus of Greta Parking Lot Party nonetheless promises to be one of the most innovative and exciting regional events happening this summer - custom-made for the GVF Peaceful Army and structured to appeal to the local arts community and music fans stretching far beyond the parameters of our Great Lakes Bay region.

Happening on Saturday, July 18^th from Noon to 11:00 PM on the Herzog Platz, 599 Weiss Street in Frankenmuth’s Heritage Park, the festival will feature a wide array of talented art vendors (painters, ceramicists, jewelry makers, and more), food trucks, delicious drink selections, and live musical performances featuring original bands, cover acts, local, and out-of-state talent.

The musical lineup will consist of a Crowd Collaboration led by Papa Kiszka and the Voortex Jazz & Blues Band; a captivating solo set by Chase Singer, who blends the rhythmic groove of rock with the intimate storytelling of folk and is also a member of the exciting new band Foxy Cleopatra; a set from students at Major Chords for Minors followed by a set from new alternative rock band ØSLO – based in Frankenmuth this young group blends catchy melodies, soaring guitar solos, and big sounding drums resulting in a strong Alt Rock sound with its own twist.

Continuing the line-up and hailing from Nashville is Rocky LeRoe – a sonic revival of the ‘60s & ‘70s capturing the passion and connection of a bygone era. Her full-length album released in the Spring of 2025 is the road trip you’ve been longing for.

This set will be followed with performances by the Alt-Rock sounds of festival co-organizer Andrew Dalton’s band The Wild Life which blends energetic pop rock with thoughtful lyrics and pleasantly catchy hooks. The show will also feature the premier musicianship of Therewolf, who describe their sound as “Canoe Rock”, which features longtime collaborators Drew Pentkowski, Allison Scott, and Andy Scott, formerly of the award-winning group Barbarossa Brothers. Closing things out will be The Hellbound Drifters, who bring a trifecta of talent and song writing prowess to the stage, with the Papa Kiszka & the Vortex Jazz & Blues Band bringing things home as the evening winds down. Papa Kiszka as you may have guessed, is the father of GVF members Josh, Jake, and Sam Kiszka.

Organized and created by Karen Kiszka (the boys’ mother and founder of the Haus of Greta), the evolution of this grand endeavor began with Haus of Greta partnering with Kernel Benny’s Popcorn and this year: the Ignite the Arts Foundation, whose mission is to enrich lives, establish belonging, and connect communities through the transformative power of creativity by breaking down barriers and making the arts accessible to all by fostering collaboration and partnerships.

According to Karen, the Haus of Greta began with the goal of filling a gap within the Frankenmuth community. “When the band started to break and achieve success there wasn’t a lot of support in Frankenmuth at the time for fans who wanted to come to Frankenmuth and find a place to congregate,” she explains. “Haus of Greta, at the Kernel Benny’s Popcorn location, was designed to be that sort of meeting place for Greta fans as well as a philanthropic endeavor, so all the products we sell always donate a portion of the sale to a worthwhile organization or cause that we’re passionate about. Our mission statement is a quote from Josh Kiszka, which is ‘Where there is love, we will live on. Where there is not love, we must provide it.”  

“The Parking Lot Party was created through the combined efforts of Haus of Greta and Kernel Benny's Popcorn,” she continues. “We are committed to benefit organizations that provide support to those in need that aren't always the most visible. In 2025, we joined forces with Ignite the Arts Foundation whose mission is in line with ours and this party. When you attend the Parking Lot Party, you know that you'll have a great time and will be our partner in making meaningful changes in peoples’ lives. Be assured that proceeds from your attendance and participation are directly impacting and enriching the lives of others within our circle of awareness”

“The first Parking lot party started before Haus of Greta existed,” explains Karen. “Melissa Hager, Lori Wagner and I were doing an album release party and were looking for a venue to host fans on the Friday night before, and Kernel Benny helped us out. We’ve been doing it there ever since, only this year we’re backed and organized by the nonprofit Ignite the Arts foundation. Last year we had over 1,200 people but could tell that we needed more space to grow so decided this year to up the ante and move to Heritage Park’s Herzog Platz, making it an outdoor event on the grass.”

“We are infinitely grateful to have Frankenmuth Credit Union as our main Presenting Sponsor in addition to several other community businesses that are assisting in various ways. We have about 20 vendors - some local and some traveling from all over the country. We will also be raffling some of their artwork. Plus, the Bavarian Inn Lodge is graciously donating Water Park Passes to their recently opened Bavarian Blast and Sunday Brunch Gift Certificates in addition to the other items being raffled, such as rare and/or signed GVF Memorabilia.”

“Karen enlisted my assistance because of my experience with organizing Dirt Fest for so many years and our early support of her kids’ band before they blew up. Carey Limberg’s production company Temporary Kicks is handling the stage, sound, and lighting which I’ll also be running Front-of-House for that day as I did last year” explains co-organizer Andrew Dalton. “That said, I’m pulling triple duty that day performing, running sound, and helping Karen organize the bands, sort out the thousands of logistics, and taking the festival to a higher level. ‘Go Big or Go Home’ tends to be my mantra as I’m always trying to find ways to make things grander and more unique. It’s a blessing and sometimes a curse but I live for this stuff and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 “We’ll have live music from Noon until 10:00 PM, several painters and textile artists, a leather maker, and lots of their work will be Greta Van Fleet inspired,” he continues. “This party is all volunteer based and we’ll want approximately 50 to 60 volunteers for the various shifts that we need filled. Luckily, my years of experience organizing Dirt Fest carries over and I have some resources I can tap into. But we are absolutely looking for more volunteers that want to get involved with a production at this level that they might not otherwise have an opportunity to become involved in. People can go to our hausofgretaparty.comwebsite to sign up on our volunteer page or simply use the Contact Us Form.”

When it comes to selecting musical talent for this shindig, Karen says her goal is simple.

“Part of what drives me about picking music is finding young talent that really wants to make it big and are great at what they do,” she reflects. “I can see the talent in the groups we feature and all they need is exposure, which is the way it was with my boys, They were very good, only it was very hard to get exposure, so I like to present opportunities for these artists like Dirt Fest did all those years ago. Andrew has his foot in that pool of musicians and bands out there with the drive and desire to make an impact, so he has been very helpful with booking the talent. My husband and I saw ØSLO perform at Fischer Hall and we knew one of the members because they had connections to my boys, have played with Andrew’s band, and are local Frankenmuthers. So, I wanted them to be involved, and we all agreed there was a good synergy.”

Proceeds from the event will be supporting an organization called IC3 that stands for Intentional Collaborative Community Connection. “They’re working on creating a residential-type community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” explains Karen. “Unfortunately, it used to be that kids would pass away prematurely because we didn’t understand what was going on for people with closed-head injuries, Downs Syndrome, or other afflictions. Now we have kids and adults with these conditions outlive their parents and because of poor healthcare it’s traumatizing, shocking, and dangerous if the parents don’t have somewhere to house their children that is safe and inclusive. So, that’s what IC3 is working on developing – putting together a living community designed to provide care for them.”

“Part of that plan is a performance space and that's where Ignite the Arts, which is very close to House of Greta, wants to help out\ - because it’s part of our mission statement, which is about establishing belonging and enriching peoples’ lives through art. Within this development there will be a community center that has a performance space and an art space, so Ignite the Arts along with Haus of Grata will be supporting the IC3 this year. They’re working on getting a working model set up in Frankenmuth.”

Will there be any surprises? Will the Kiszka boys be returning to join the celebration? “No,” laughs Karen. “The boys are not going to show up. Everybody wants to know and I wish I could get them to show up, but no – they’re incredibly busy right now. I think it would blow up Frankenmuth if they were showing up. Even if they did, we wouldn’t announce it ahead of time. It would be a surprise treat for anyone that came.”

People are asking how to get tickets, so here’s the scoop: There are TWO ways to join the party this year, no advance tickets are required so we can skip the exorbitant Ticketmaster fees! Option 1: Pay at the Party: $10 Collectible Entry Wristband at the gate (accepting cash, credit, and Venmo). OR Option 2: The Rosebud Special at $75 – This requires pre-registry and is available now on the Parking Lot Party website HausOfGretaParty.com and includes a Collectible Entry Wristband, official event t-shirt, All-Activity Wristband, and a Goodie Bag. All-Activity Wristbands are available separately for $35. Official T-Parking Lot Party T-Shirts are $35.

 “We’ll have some cool activities like face painting, henna tattoos, and a photo booth provided by Events Remembered,” adds Andrew. “You can either pay-as-you-go with suggested donations for the activities, or you can purchase the All-Activity Wristband that lets you partake in any of the activities as many times as you want. This perk is also included in the Rosebud Special which is essentially an all-inclusive pass where you don’t have to pull out your wallet every five seconds to do something.”

"This is a rain or shine event housed under a giant 80 x 150-foot tent in addition to the greenspace surrounding it,” concludes Andrew. “Even if it rains, we can put this whole thing underneath the big tent and the show will still go on without a hitch; but if it’s a sunny day we’ll expand the footprint and be more out in the grass. We’ll have food trucks and a full-service bar hosted by Just The Essentials with Greta Van Fleet inspired cocktails custom-curated by Josh, Jake, and Sam’s sister Ronnie. Being mindful of those who do not (or aren’t old enough to) partake in alcohol, we will also have non-alcoholic mocktails, soda, and even an espresso bar! Greta Van Fleet fans tend to be on the younger side, so this is an All-Ages Event. Lawn / Camping Chairs are permitted so feel free to bring your favorite seat and come celebrate a day of Art, Love, and Music with us!”

"Love isn’t greed – it’s a need that goes unspoken.” -Jake Kiszka