York County Libraries Literacy for Change
The fundraiser is set for Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.
A team of punk music-loving Yorkers are planning to bring a full-time live music venue back to York with the help of crowdfunding.
Through an online fundraiser organized by Rita and William Whitney, Tom Klimek and Cal Weary, the group hopes to raise $75,000 in donations to purchase the former Skid Row Garage building at 243 West Market Street, and re-open the venue as F. H. Pappy’s, a former punk music venue that operated in Royal Square. For the team behind the new venue, Rita Whiteney said it’s about disassociating from the garage and starting something fresh.
This year, the Skid Row Garage Facebook page shared all scheduled events would be cancelled. Another local music venue, The Kennel at West York Inn also closed this year.
And after losing two small music venues within the last year, the team made up of local passionate musicians and creatives wanted to create a space that would fill a void, not just for York’s “dedicated community of punks and metalheads,” but for touring musicians who play shows in surrounding cities that may overlook York for “lack of a venue.”
The GoFundMe outlines three main goals:
- Purchase the building at 243 W. Market St. so that the venue located within it can be secure for the long haul.
- Re-open the venue and create a safe and welcoming environment for live music in the region.
- Work with the dedicated network of booking agents and promoters in the area to bolster the live music scene across all of York.
“We cannot watch our music scene die − bands are dying to play here,” said Rita Whitney. “This is so much more than a new venue opening.”
As outlined in the GoFundMe, the project is aiming to bring improved sound quality, improved accessibility and safety. The bar will operate as it previously had and will continue to offer drinks, including some of the ‘cheapest beer in downtown York’ and grab-and-go food.
Shows on Thursday through Sunday will have a $10-$15 cover, and once open, bands who were previously lined up to play before the venue closed will have their chance to headline.
Donations raised will contribute to the down payment for the building, utilities and for signage, re-branding and building cosmetics.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.ydr.com ’
