The 17th Annual Saginaw On Stage Festival

Since its inception 19-years ago Saginaw On Stage has successfully served as a broad-ranged and divergent music festival designed to showcase multiple genres of musical artists throughout the region performing upon multiple stages; but also, to serve as a major fundraising vehicle for the Rotary Club of Saginaw, allowing them to raise revenue for numerous local community organizations.

Now after a 2-year absence due to the Pandemic shutdown, the 17th Annual Saginaw On Stage Music Festival is returning on Friday, April 29th, featuring 12 bands and 12 singer-songwriters acts performing on seven stages at the historic Saginaw Club, which is located at 219. N. Washington next to The Temple Theatre.  Doors open at 5:30 PM with performances running through 1100 PM. An open bar will be on all three floors and tickets are $30.00 per person, available online through SaginawOnStage.com with sales limited to 250 tickets.

According to new committee chairwoman, Linda Hegenauer, “Artists will be performing on all three floors of the club and we will also have a dulcimer player on the front porch greeting people when they enter, plus a dance floor in at least one of the locations, and even dance instructions during the night by ballroom dance specialist Angela Markle.”

“This is a major fundraiser for our club and since its inception, Saginaw On Stage has raised over $170,000 and benefitted 35 different civic and service organizations,” she adds. This year our beneficiaries include percussion equipment for the Saginaw Youth Orchestra, an amplifier and operational funds for Major Chords for Minors, and scholarships for Pit & Balcony’s Class Act summertime youth workshops.”

The last time the event was held in 2019 it was staged at Apple Mountain Resort, however in 2020 was slated to be moved to the SVRC Marketplace Building in Downtown Saginaw until the Lockdowns shut everything down.  According to Linda, since then one of the areas they planned to use for staging has been filled in with office spaces, so the Committee decided to move the event to The Saginaw Club. 

“Because of the two-year absence and uncertainty of how many people would be in attendance due to ongoing covid concerns, we decided to move to a smaller venue and limit the amount of tickets sold to 250,” she explains. “This way we can still make some money for these beneficiaries. We also decided not to get involved with food this year, but do have an arrangement set up with The Saginaw Club where people can make a reservation for a limited menu they will be providing. Details are on our website at SaginawOnStage.com. Plus, the SVRC Marketplace is right down the street, so people can also obtain food there.”

“Not having done this event for two years, we’re trying to keep it simpler,” she continues. “ We also wanted to spread the proceeds among three beneficiaries this year and plug more resources back into the community.  Our Camp Rotary that we helped fund in the early years of the festival is pretty self-sufficient now, so because this is a music festival we wanted to give the proceeds to music and arts groups that are benefitting our community.”

According to Saginaw Rotary member and festival entertainment organizer Bill Harman, the move to The Saginaw Club allows the staging of performers on multiple locations with the Club, and also add new features into the mix.

“We’ll be using the main ballroom on the third floor to stage five larger bands, including groups like the New Reformation Dixieland Jazz band, 23 North, and Frohliche Musiker Blasorchester Polka band; and then there’s a small stage on the side that’s big enough to feature a smaller band from Major Chords for Minors, who will perform between band set-ups on the main stage,” he explains. “We also have the SASA Drama Club doing little skits for people between performances while bands are striking equipment and setting up.”

“On the second floor we’ll have the Main Dining Room and the Centennial Room  opposite that for three and four-piece bands who will alternate back and forth with 45-minute sets,” he continues. Groups performing on the second floor will include Sensory Overload, We, the Infamous, Haley & the Sound Poets, Catfood Sandwich, The Lucky Nows, Sarah Schingeck & the Hope Dealers, and Magh Maell.

“In the Centennial Room on the second floor we’ll also be featuring our Singer/Songwriter Showcase, which has 12 slots available. Stephanie Terpening will be performing Michigan Lumberjack Songs, which should be different; and the rest of the singer-songwriter line-up will consist of Sarah Schingeck, Jen & Eric Janetsky, Scott Baker, JR Band, Kurt & Yvette Cormier, Just Folkin’ Witcha, Brightyn Henika, Dave Dalton, and Jennifer Naegele & Jake Priest.”

“On the first floor The Saginaw Club is having their Bistro that night, so while that’s going on we’ll have dinner type music going on with Gary Pretzer and Bob Hughes; and then after the Bistro we will have use of the Grill Room to present a new Tribute to the Artist showcase that will allow local artists to sing their tribute to an artist that has passed away over the last three years,” continues Harman. “So far we have Renee Belden and Eric Janetsky performing songs by John Prine and Dave Dalton doing a tribute to Justin Townes Earle, with Tana Michaels paying tribute to Uriah Heap.”

“In the first floor lobby we’ll have the JR Band, Finnigan’s Cross, and Patrick Emerine performing as people enter,” concludes Harman. “Additionally, the BSA Girl’s Group that we sponsor will have eight or ten attendees serving as our coat check crew and greeters for all attendees.”

“There’s a lot of parts in motion with an event of this nature, so we are hoping for a great turnout and a smooth engaging evening of top regional entertainment,” concludes Hegenauer.

For more information and to purchase tickets go to SaginawOnStage.com.