Saturday: Jams For Jake Festival Rocks Birch Meadow

A release from the BeatHeart Foundation:

On Saturday we will be hosting our third annual Jams for Jake music and arts community festival, a special event in memory of our friend Jake Czuczwa.

The free, family-friendly event, open to the public, will take place from noon to 6 p.m. at Birch Meadow Field. Along with the incredible music by local musicians and bands, the day will feature booths displaying breathtaking art by local artists, community speakers reflecting on their own experience with substance abuse and recovery, one-on-one overdose reversal trainings, abundant resources for addiction recovery, JFJ t-shirts for sale, "Gameland" — an area with a variety of fun outdoor games for all ages, a drawing for gift cards/baskets and a variety of great prizes from community supporters, food trucks serving delicious food,and much more! We look forward to seeing everyone there again this year!

On June 25th, 2017, Jake Czuczwa passed away just one day after his 24th birthday. Jake was a truly incredible friend as well as a gifted musician, songwriter, and producer. Growing up in Reading, Jake played trombone at Coolidge Middle School and Reading Memorial High School in concert, marching, and jazz band. He was a member of RMHS’s drama club and the boy scouts, but his greatest pleasure came from creating and playing his original music. Jake was a skillful guitar player who crafted his own unique sound and he brought this flavor to every creative project that he worked on. Jake frequently spoke of creating an outdoor music festival so we felt an event in his name was the greatest way to honor our friend.