ST. ALBANS CITY — Three of the biggest names in music are coming to St. Albans this weekend for the 6th annual Afterglow Music Festival.
Nationally-recognized tributes to Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac and AC/DC will take the stage, bringing together generations of fans for a day of fun and fundraising.
The festival kicks off at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 20, at Hard’Ack Recreation Area. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 day-of, with all proceeds supporting suicide awareness and prevention. Kids ages 11-17 are $10 and under age 10 is free.
St. Albans residents Andrea Wells and John Holzscheiter started Afterglow six years ago following the loss of their son AJ. Since then, the Afterglow Foundation has donated about $400,000 to community organizations supporting youth and adult mental health.
Beneficiaries include Northwestern Counseling and Support Services, the Vermont chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Spectrum Youth & Family Services, Josh Palotta Fund and St. Albans Recreation Department.
“This year, we’re really hoping to be able to donate more than $100,000, to get us to the half-million mark,” Holzscheiter said.
The rate of suicide deaths in Vermont has significantly decreased every year since 2021, according to the Vermont Department of Health. In 2021, 142 Vermonters died of suicide. In 2024, 104 residents died of suicide.
“The work that we’re doing, as well as others, around awareness and prevention, is working,” Holzscheiter said. “The numbers are going down.”
Thanks to excitement for the iconic musical tributes, the festival has sold more advance tickets than ever before. More than 300 community members will fill the Hard’Ack Hill to dance, play and eat. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets.
Mill River BBQ & Smokehouse is new to the line-up of food options this year, as well as a special dessert truck from Nelly’s Pub & Grill. Be sure to check out their deep-fried Oreos!
Smugglers’ Notch Distillery will provide bar service this year, and its drink menu will include a few Afterglow-exclusive cocktails. Adults age 21+ will need to show valid ID to order.
Activities for kids include face painting, friendship bracelets, a climbing wall, bouncy house, obstacle course, basketball and the Hard’Ack playground.
“We’re always a kid-friendly event, but with everything from Taylor Swift to the obstacle course, bouncy house and face painting, this year really is the biggest one for kids,” Don Wells said.
As has become tradition, a memory wall will honor community members lost to suicide. Family and friends are invited to add their own photos, notes and memorabilia.
“That hits people pretty hard when they see the pictures or the notes that are left,” Andrea Wells said. “I keep the pictures year to year and continue to hang them up.”
The Afterglow festival falls this year on AJ’s actual birthday, which is especially meaningful for the Wells and Holzscheiter families, who know he would have loved everything about this event. To celebrate what would have been AJ’s 25th birthday, the families are sponsoring a fireworks show at the conclusion of the festivities.
Those unable to attend the festival can still support the cause by participating in the Afterglow Foundation’s Venmo Challenge. The organization hopes to raise $10,000 through donations of any amount to @AfterglowFoundationInc.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.samessenger.com ’
