Festival of blue lights
Event will benefit NJ State PBA Survivor & Welfare Fund
n BY STEPHANIE JONES
Asked about his greatest passion, the average Jersey boy like-
ly would launch into an emphatic declaration addressing one
of two topics: music and food. If that Jersey boy also happens to
be former law enforcement, his response likely would include
supporting Jersey’s extended family of dedicated first respond-
ers. When three former law enforcement Jersey boys got togeth-
er last fall to form their own production company, they found
a way to invite all three passions into one framework of action.
Managing Partner Rob Erickson cofounded Jersey Boyz Pro-
duction with partners Allan and Glenn Griffin in 2016 with the
intention of producing special events, street fairs, concerts,
festivals – any type of entertainment-based event – “from con-
ception to completion.” He and his partners, all retired law en-
forcement personnel, had been working festivals for a variety of
companies and entities across the state when they decided to
pursue their own project.
And in the process of putting together what would become
Jersey Boyz Production, the partners conceived of the first-ever
Garden State Country Music and Food Truck Festival to benefit
those who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. The event is
scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at Bader Airfield in Atlantic
City.
“As we were developing the concept of the Country Music
and Food Truck Festival, we wanted to associate ourselves with
a charity to give back to the community,” says Erickson. “We
picked the PBA Survivor & Welfare Fund as something that’s
near to our hearts.”
The idea for Jersey Boyz to partner with the NJ State PBA for
the benefit of the Survivor & Welfare Fund was nearly instanta-
neous for all three. “We know the cause, and we know people
that have (benefited),” says Erickson. “It’s such a great cause
that we want to make sure we get involved so that fund is al-
ways there for officers’ needs.”
In the past, Erickson has organized initiatives that bene-
fit New Jersey’s finest and bravest, such as the PBA free lunch
for first responders sponsored by Miller’s Ale House in August
of 2016. But this festival in particular, rooted in a passionate
culture of faded blue jeans, sharp-tongued lyrics and acoustic
rhythms, seemed to Erickson to pair perfectly with a law en-
forcement-centric charity and an overall sentiment of support
for first responders.
“We’re very focused on giving back to first responders in gen-
eral,” he says. “If you go to any country music festival and you
just walk into the parking lot, you’ll see a “Blue Lives Matter”
flag in the parking lot. You’ll see law enforcement shirts, fire de-
partment shirts – just in the audience. I think the demographics
of country music cross the lines of all first responders; the two
go hand in hand.”
Top country music acts are scheduled to play the festival, in-
cluding Dan + Shay, the Eli Young Band and Lonestar. Another
attraction for the festival takes the form of authentic Domini-
can empanadas, beer-battered barbeque wings and deep-fried
breadcrumbs stuffed with lobster. With 40 confirmed food truck
vendors scheduled to attend, Erickson considers the event “a
country music festival with food trucks, or a food truck festival
70
NEW JERSEY COPS
■ JUNE 2017
Garden State Country Music and
Food Truck Festival
Sept. 30-Oct. 1
Bader Airfield, Atlantic City
Live music from 1 to 10 p.m.
Sept. 30 Headliners
Dan+Shay
Eli Young Band
Oct. 2 Headliners
Chase Rice Joe Nichols Lonestar
Music All Weekend
Devin Dawson
Jake Arch
Ryan Griffin
The Highway Women
Ayla Brown
Nikki Briar
Shane Gamble
Sara Ann Garrison
Morgan Myles
Joseph West
Jessie Chris
Zephaniah Ohara
Tickets
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.garden-
statefestival.com, and receive a 20-percent discount using promo
code “thankyou”
You can play, too
Three slots remain open for local artists. The Jersey Boyz invite
those interested in performing at the Garden State Country Music
and Food Truck Festival to join their rolling battle of the bands by
emailing info@jerseyboyzproduction.com
with country music.” The Jersey Boyz intend for the festival to
allow a family of four to attend the weekend’s festivities for less
than what they might drop taking the kids to a Yankee game.
“We designed it, and kept the ticket prices as low as possible,
for that purpose,” says Erickson.
The festival guarantees a $10,000 minimum donation to the
Survivor and Welfare Fund. d