It’s going to be a rockin’ good time come Feb. 15 in Tyrone.
Tyrone-Snyder Library officials announced yesterday that two legendary artists of the 50s and 60s will be headlining the kick-off for their $325,000 fund drive to help pay for the new facility, soon to be located at the intersection of Tenth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
“We’re tremendously excited about this announcement,” said Library Board president Fred Thomas at a press conference held yesterday in Snyder Township. “We wanted to make sure we kicked this thing off with a bang and get people to realize how serious we are about seeing this project through. We’ve put together an all-star concert to get things going and we’re planning to keep the surprises coming.”
This particular concert will feature opening gig The Marcells, whose 1961 recording of “Blue Moon,” sold more than two and a half million copies. The feature act is the 60s pop group Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners’ whose single “Since I Don’t Have You” propelled the now legendary artists into one of the most admired and accomplished vocal groups in pop music.
The concert is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Tyrone Area High School auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 15. Officials believe the show will last about two hours. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets are $30 and all proceeds will be donated to the library’s building fund. They go on sale Monday and can be purchased at a number of locations, including the library, Joy Beans, the Bull Pen, Med-Center Pharmacy, Miller’s Car Care and Bressler’s Food Mart and Sports. There are also a number of locations in Altoona and State College and tickets can be purchased from any board member. For more ticket information, contact 684-7929 or 684-1133.
The Marcells feature the vocal talents of Julius Hopson, Richie Merritt, Richard Harris and Ted “Reno” Smith. Their three albums and numerous hit singles have recorded sales in the millions. They recorded the theme song, “The Greatest Love” for the motion picture :The Inters” and appeared with Chubby Checker in the film “Twist Around the Clock.”
The Marcells also pay tribute to yesteryear’s vocals by performing hits from the glory years of The Temptations, The Four Topps, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Smokey Robinson and the incomparable Jackie Wilson.
The headlines, who, by the way, will be warming up the night before at Ceasar’s Palace in Atlantic City, is none other than the widely known Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners’.
Producer Phil Spectre calls Jimmy Beaumont “one of the best lead singers in group history” and credits The Skyliners’ with “bringing class to rock and roll.”
“This star in the entertainment sky” came into focus over Pittsburgh more than 40 years ago, when “Since I Don’t Have You” was recorded in 1958. The hit skyrocketed to number one in several weeks time and opened the doors for an American Bandstand appearance when their lead singer, Beaumont, was just 18 years old.
“If tickets are available, we will have tickets at the door,” said Chuck Banas Jr., public relations director for the library, “but we’re not expecting there to be that many left over. This is going to be a first-rate performance and a fun-filled evening for the entire family.
“That’s why we want to get this message out here in the community of Tyrone and surrounding areas. Better listen up, these tickets are going to sell fast.
According to Banas, once word got out the bands would be performing, checks began pouring in – even without an official announcement.
“I’d say that we’ve already sold three or four hundred tickets,” said Banas, “and we hadn’t even really let anyone know about it until now. That really goes to show the caliber of the performance ticket holders will witness.”
Thomas said if the show sells out, the library will make a little more than $20,000.
“We realize the importance of having a state-of-the-art library facility in our area,” he said. “We have a long road of fundraising ahead of us, but we’re all full steam ahead and ready to make this project finally become a reality.
Jeff Long Contracting is doing the work at the site. Thomas said, weather permitting, the roof should be on by the end of the year and work inside should run until late June or early July.
“We’re hoping to move in later in the summer,” said Thomas.
The project, which is being estimated at $625,000, is being partially funded through the state with a $100,000 grant. Banas said other fundraisers are being explored to generate more funding.
The library is currently located on Logan Avenue in a 3,000-square foot building that is not handicapped accessible. There are no elevators in the two-story structure and the restrooms do not accommodate wheelchair-bound visitors.
The new building will encompass between 7,200- and 7,300-square feet with incorporated plans should the need for future expansion arise. Also, there will be better parking facilities and will be fully handicapped accessible.
The new library will also contain a conference room, a computer lab, a historical room, an expanded children’s area, and, for those people who know what it’s like working on the second floor of the current building in August – a centralized air conditioning unit.
“I think this will give the community an updated modern library which would be able to serve preschoolers through college students and adults,” said Banas. “If you’ve been around Tyrone, you would know that that corner has just been a shell filled with stones and fill for the last eight or nine years. It was an eyesore.
“This new building will make our downtown look just that much better.”
