Unveiled: 2024 Rock the Park lineup

This year’s Rock the Park event will be twice as much fun with six bands performing over two weekends.

That’s the word from the Ely Events Group which is also overseeing the All Class Reunion June 29-July 6.

The two Rock the Park events will bookend the reunion, occurring on the first and last Saturdays in Whiteside Park.

“We’ve got a great lineup of bands for all ages this year and we’re doing Rock the Park on back to back weekends which should be a great time,” said Ely Events Group member Rob Wilmunen. “We really have a great variety of music genre for this year.”

On June 29 legendary accordion player Hank Thunander and his band will take the stage at 4 p.m., followed by Willy Martin and his band, Honkytonks and Hangovers at 6:30 p.m. with The Northwoods Band cranking it up at 9 p.m.

For July 6 the night starts off with Rockabilly Revue at 4 p.m., followed by Duluth and Nashville artist Rafe Carlson at 6:30 p.m. and The Reckoning filling the bandshell at 9 p.m.

Ely Events Group has also hired the professional sound and light firm known as Slammix to handle each night’s events.

“Hank Thunander has been entertaining folks on the Range for many years, we saw him last weekend at Nick’s Bar in Gilbert and he packed the house,” said Events Group member Nick Wognum.

Thunander is an honoree of the Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame, the Michigan Polka Hall of Fame, the Minnesota Accordion Hall of Fame, and the Ironworld Polka Hall of Fame. His versatility is shown by his lifetime performance award from the Mid-America Rock and Country Hall of Fame.

Following Thunander will be Honkytonks and Hangovers, the premier hardcore country band of northeastern Minnesota.

“Willy and his band can really play and they crank out some foot stomping music I’m sure people will enjoy,” said Wognum.

Back for their third performance at Rock the Park is the Northwoods Band including a local celebrity in the form of Duluth meteoroligist Hunter McCullough of TV station KBJR 6.

“We are excited to have the Northwoods Band back on stage,” said Wilmunen. “They have been a fan favorite for all ages, from a busload of folks from Carefree Living to teenagers and those inbetween.”

Kicking things off on Saturday, July 6 is the band Rockabilly Revue at 4 p.m.

“Rockabilly Revue was formed in 1993 and continues to keep on rockin. Playing a great mix of rock and roll hits just the way you remember them. A career that’s taken them to many stages and sharing the stage with rock and roll legends-Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits, The Crickets, The Monkees, The Spinners, Bobby Vee, Gary Lewis and the Playboys just to mention a few! Get ready for some good times and great oldies!”

Next up will be Rafe Carlson who has been looking to play in Ely and jumped at the chance to take the stage in Whiteside Park.

Carlson is a Nashville recording artist and Midwest native who has toured nationally and shared the stage with country acts like Jon Pardi, Jake Owen, Trace Adkins, and dozens more. Growing up in Duluth, Carlson broke into the scene in 2021, with his first release out of Nashville, “Lost and Found,” which garnered regional attention on radio and news.

Carlson’s band rides the line between mainstream country and 70s rock, like Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR and Allman Brothers, with songs nodding to their upbringing in Minnesota, and lyrics about self-reliance and individualism.

Combined with a high-octane, guitar-driven five-piece band, all of this sounds like somebody gave Lynyrd Skynyrd a Time Machine ride from 1974 to 2024 and told them to “figure it out.” Carlson has played hundreds of shows nationwide, joining dozens of national acts on tour and at countless country festivals throughout the Midwest- not to mention garnering over 45 million views on social media.

Capping off the second 2024 Rock the Park and wrapping up the All Class Reunion will be The Reckoning, Duluth’s premier party band featuring 80s, 90s rock, today’s hits and a little country “We play a mix of 80s, 90s, 2000s rock and pop up to current as well as a little country. Anything from Pink, Bon Jovi, Shania Twain, Lady Gaga, Def Leppard, Journey, Jason Aldean, Foreigner,” said Reckoning band member Shawn Bourgeault.

Rock the Park buttons will go on sale this spring and businesses interested in being a sponsor should watch for opportunities to do so.

The Ely Events Group is a 501c3 non-profit organization that also puts on Ely’s famous Fourth of July parade.