WRFA-LP 107.9 FM’s eighth annual Great American Picnic, featuring “Songs from the Summer of Love,” will be held at Southern Tier Brewing Company from 5-9 p.m. on Tuesday. Performing at this year’s event will be Cold Lazarus, Bill Ward, Ken Hardley and the Moose Club, John Merino, Gary Robert Peters Jr. and Friends, and more. Submitted photo

Although it’s not being held on a weekend this year, the WRFA-LP 107.9 FM Great American Picnic can guarantee a great selection of live music as performed by several notable area musicians.

The locally owned and operated radio station will present its sixth annual fundraising event at the Southern Tier Brewing Company on Tuesday from 5-9 p.m., this time featuring “Songs from the Summer of Love.”

Attendees of previous Great American Picnic fundraisers will know that the annual event operates under a different theme each year. This year’s performers have learned and will perform songs recorded or released in 1967, now widely referred to as “The Summer of Love.”

“What a great thing to celebrate on its 50th anniversary,” said Dennis Drew, general manager of WRFA. “There’s so many musical masterpieces that came out that year, and the selections are so diverse. You can do anything from soul to funk to folk to psychedelic rock. The music of that era is very celebratory, but there are some darker songs, too. So the musicians we have playing have had a bunch of options to choose from, and all of them can find something that will fit right in their wheelhouse.”

Drew said much of the success experienced by the Great American Picnic through the years can be owed to the Southern Tier Brewing Company, which has regularly hosted the picnic, and to the musicians who put forth the time and effort to learn new songs specifically for that show.

“Without the support of local musicians none of this stuff could happen. They do it every year for free and learn these new songs, and their willingness to do that for us is kind of amazing to me,” he said. “This is a chance for them to perform for the community, and it’s kind of a two-way street because we like to support them with our station by giving them air time. I really appreciate what they do, and I know the community does, too.”

The lineup for this year’s event represents a disparate, but accomplished collection of local performers. It includes Cold Lazarus, Bill Ward, Ken Hardley and the Moose Club, John Merino, Gary Robert Peters Jr. and Friends, and more. Each act will perform for approximately 20-25 minutes, and the show will conclude with an ensemble finale featuring members from each act.

Many of the performances will be recorded and broadcast on WRFA at a later date.

Admission is $20 per person, which, in addition to the live music, also includes two free beers and food. Attendees under 21 will be admitted for free. To purchase tickets in advance of Tuesday’s event, call 484-7070 or visit reglenna.com.

Southern Tier Brewing Company is located at 2072 Stoneman Circle in Lakewood. For more information on the Great American Picnic, visit wrfalp.com or find “WRFA’s 2017 Great American Picnic: Music from the Summer of Love” on Facebook.