The Friends of Wallisch Homestead is hosting their 5th Annual Music Festival to benefit their ongoing preservation efforts at the Homestead. A couple of groups are back by popular demand and some new acts have been added. “The gates open at 10:00 and we have changed it up a bit this year.� said John Hefferon, FOWH Events Coordinator. “We will have craft vendors, a classic car exhibition and the Elks Club will be cooking for us again this year. We are also looking to test out a special area this year which we hope to become an ongoing staple.� Hefferon said. The event is the organization’s largest fundraiser for the year and the group is looking for local sponsors to help support their efforts. The Friends of Wallisch is celebrating their 10th Anniversary this season. Through their grass roots program through the last decade, they have been able to apply for grants and have raised funds from the community for several major preservation projects. All of the main buildings have new roofs installed, upgraded electrical services, been scraped and painted along with typical repairs to the buildings which are all over 100 years old and some dating back to the early 1800. Even the windmill has been brought into working order. A stewardship agreement with the Township of West Milford and Board of Education, the current owners of the property, was entered into with the FOWH to help preserve the buildings and bring the vision John and Lou Wallisch had for the property when they bequeath it to the Township and Board, upon Lou’s passing in 2001. Their vision was to utilize the land for open space, recreation and education. The FOWH is past the preservation phase and is moving into the restoration phase having commissioned historical studies of the buildings and a master plan for the adaptive reuse of the site with the intent it become fully self-sustaining. The big event opens with The Rock Underground, the music school in Greenwood Lake NY. which will have 2 bands made up of students from their Rock and Roll school. The overall line up will be as follows. 11:00 – Rock Underground 12:30 – Pishy Cloots 2:00 – The Kootz 3:30 – Zeke Carey Band 5:00 – 3M Band Tickets $15