By PlumFest Co-Founder, Cynthia Keefe

PlumFest Co-Founders Kevin Kelley and Cynthia Keefe at the end of the day of our first event

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the very first PlumFest. The winter of 2015 was a tough one, with record snowfall and an island wide sewer system failure, with all the craziness that came with it. PlumFest Co-Founders Cynthia Keefe and Kevin Kelley decided that a party to celebrate their love of music and their beautiful island community was a great way to welcome Spring.
They made their plans and attended a lot of local music events, spreading the word and recruiting performers. They also walked the streets of Plum Island, hanging posters and doing their best to inform their fellow islanders of their idea and get them involved. They made signs and donation buckets, and they recruited local musicians to perform and local homeowners to host. They assigned music to porches, created a map, and recruited volunteers to help the day go as smoothly as possible.

And it was a banner day! There was lots of sunshine, a wonderful happy crowd and joyous music in the air, with 46 performing groups playing in 20 different locations all day across the island. 100% of the money donated that day went to “Songbird Sings,” a non profit created by Robin Lane that helps victims of trauma heal through music. And Robin’s band (iconic Boston rockers “Robin Lane and the Chartbusters”) closed out the day at the north end to a huge and enthusiastic crowd. Each year, the event has continued to grow and we are so proud to see it expand!