For the MVI
The increasingly popular Six Gun Sally, a band with local roots, will be the featured entertainment at BVA Derby Day on May 7.
It will be an opportunity to see and hear the 1970s classic and Southern rock tribute band before it takes a step into a major spotlight as opening act at Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts in June.
“Our thanks to sponsor Tom Svrcek for being able to secure Six Gun Sally,” said John Lofink, chair of the nonprofit BVA Charitable Fund, to which proceeds will go. “As people are saying, ‘It’s a must-see band that’s in demand and won’t disappoint.”
Svrcek, vice chair of the BVA Fund, is owner of CSC Insurance Options and Amulet Farms, a harness racing training facility in Rostraver Township, where the event will be held from 2 to 7 p.m., coinciding with the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby.
BVA Derby Day is resuming after a two-year hiatus brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Admission will be $25 to the adults-only event that drew hundreds of people in 2018 and 2019 for a unique afternoon of fashion, fun and entertainment. Tickets will be sold at the gate.
Six Gun Sally has drawn increasingly big crowds playing at local venues throughout the region over the past several years.
In June, the band will hit the road as the opening act for two Lynyrd Skynyrd shows in Middletown, N.Y., followed by a gig in Allentown, Pa.
Several years ago, David Barbe, owner of Four Points BBQ and Brewing Co., based in Charleroi, helped bring together the powerhouse of seven accomplished musicians and vocalists to pay homage to great rock bands and stars of the ’70s.
The band performs signature songs of Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac.
Barbe and Billy G play percussion and drums. Dan Rach is on keyboard, Stan Brusoski on bass and Allen Granus on guitar, while Jeff Yeckel is lead rhythm guitarist. Lori Bernish is the main singer for Six Gun Sally.
For those who appreciate the “swing era” in music, Christian Sesek of Brownsville will entertain between sets. “Young blue eyes,” as he’s known, is a Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin tribute artist. He’s a past winner of a Dean Martin singing competition at a festival honoring the late member of the “Rat Pack” in Steubenville, Ohio, Martin’s birthplace.
The Kentucky Derby will be shown on a Jumbotron screen at Amulet Farms, a 35-acre spread of pastures, pond, stables and other facilities located along Route 201 in Rostraver, a half-mile south of Interstate 70.
Other activities at what promises to be another top social event of the year in the Mon Valley will include a colorful fashion hat contest sponsored by Snoballs Beauty Salon; photo ops, cornhole games, a beer wagon, food trucks, a cigar vendor and Clink 92 Vintage Mobile Bar. No outside alcoholic beverages will be allowed under event insurance requirements. Attendees to the “rain-or-shine” event are asked to bring their own folding chairs because the number of tents, tables and seating will be limited.