Music Series at Mill Park returns for summer

This month, the Newfield Music Series at Mill Park returns, promising another summer filled with good tunes and family fun.

Board member and co-founder of the series J.T. Tompkins has been booking and enjoying musicians and bands for the last six years for the Newfield music series.

“I’m originally from Niagara Falls,” he said. “When I was living in Buffalo, I had discovered an artist named Johnny Dowd around 2001 from the Ithaca area and became a huge fan. I had been offered a job at Office Depot in Ithaca and decided to take it and come here and get to know Johnny Dowd. Working in the music scene, I got to know him, and now, we’re actually friends. He’s awesome! He’s so talented. He’s also a poet and an artist as well as a musician.”

While attending the University at Buffalo, Tompkins started dating a fellow student who would eventually become his wife.

“I had originally met my wife when we went to college together at the University of Buffalo,” Tompkins said. “We had been dating, and then, she had to move back to Tompkins County for family reasons. We stopped dating when she moved because of the distance. She’s originally from Auburn and had family in the Tompkins County area. When I moved back to take the job, we ended up getting back together. Now, we’re married and settled into Newfield.”

In addition to co-founding and booking the Newfield Music Series, Tompkins also coaches the middle school’s baseball team and has partnered with art teacher Megan Conner to facilitate the annual Empty Bowls event to raise money for the Newfield Food Bank and surrounding Tompkins County food banks. This year’s event will be held June 22 at Mill Park.

“I read a study that said that 80% of the time spent with your child is gone by the time they are 16,” Tompkins said. “Coaching is another way I get to spend more time with my son, Henry. My son and I do everything together. He goes everywhere with me. The shows are at a little pitched amphitheater and are all ages and family friendly. We attended a workshop at the library held by Meg Conner to make bowls together for the Empty Bowls project too.”

Tompkins has also been a DJ on WRFI 88.1 for the past three years, hosting his own show, Dance the Mutation, which airs every other Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m.

“Dance the Mutation brings you the weird — castoffs, one-offs, outsiders, has-beens and never will-bes, scraped from the bottom of the garage, psych and punk barrel,” Tompkins said. “We mine the murky depths and strange fringes so fine upstanding citizens don’t have to!”

Tompkins’ role as a DJ with the radio station allows him to easily connect the community with a variety of musicians and performers that he networks with in choosing whom to book for the Mill Park Music Series.

“Some of it is keeping an ear to the ground,” he said. “Some reach out to me; some I reach out to. It’s a very organic process. It’s very flowing. We usually set up and book the bands and musicians in February and March. Luckily, there’s no shortage of talent in this region.”

Joining the festivities at the Mill Park Newfield Music Series are Fittnell Barbecue food truck and Dennis’ Homemade Ice Cream cart to provide food and beverages throughout the concerts.

“Fittnell Barbecue donates chili for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Newfield,” Tompkins said. “The first time I had it, I was just blown away. We ended up sitting down over some bowls of chili and discussing them coming to the music series and talked it over and made it happen.”

Tompkins said that Dennis’ Homemade Ice Cream “has amazing treats too.”

“He’s always contributing to the community,” Tompkins said. “He recently partnered with me on the Empty Bowls fundraiser and is donating vanilla, chocolate and cookies and cream ice cream to that event that will be held at Mill Park on June 22nd. There will be music at the Empty Bowls event as well. It’s all very collaborative.”

Tompkins is hoping that, as the music series continues to grow, more people learn of it and come out to enjoy it.

“It’s a great time for the community and it offers a lot of exposure to different types of music,” Tompkins said. “Being that it’s open to all ages and so family friendly, it’s an event that the whole family can come and enjoy. In fact, my son, Henry, comes to every single show. It’s about building the community — that’s really what it’s all about.”

Information and updates about the Mill Park Music Series can be found on its Facebook page at facebook.com/NewfieldMusicSeries/. Information about Tompkins’ radio show can be found at wrfi.org/wrfiprograms/dance-the-mutation/.

Newfield Notes appears every Wednesday in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.

In brief:

Beginning spinning class

On June 21 at 6:30 p.m., come to the Masonic Temple pavilion behind the Newfield Public Library, 198 Main St., where presenter Wayne Harbert will talk about the kinds of fiber that have traditionally been spun, the steps in preparing them and the history of the devices used to spin them.

Homemade drop spindles will be provided for participants to practice on and take home, along with a sample of prepared wool. There will be an assortment of spinning wheels present, and participants can try their hand at carding wool and spinning.

Harbert is a retired linguistics professor from Cornell and a member of a spinning guild. This event is open to all ages. Register at forms.gle/LmMart3Ynz3UsuWK8.