Helping Education Shine On

Shinefest celebrates life and legacy of local hero Trip Paige

This weekend the outdoor music festival Shinefest will benefit both the Trip Page Education Initiative and the Charleston County school district.

The Trip Page Education Initiative, started by Christi Page, is a Citadel scholarship that honors the education of her husband, a Citadel Cadet who passed away unexpectedly in 2007.

"The remarkable thing about Trip was that he was a self-made man," says Page. "He put himself through school, he was very dedicated, and he knew that education was very important. I'm a huge advocate of education myself, and I wanted to do something to help out."

Page decided that an outdoor music festival would be a fantastic way to raise money for the scholarship. So she approached the Joe Riley Stadium as a venue, and told others about her project.

"In order to make the event bigger and better, we decided to include the Charleston County school district," she says. "Fifty percent of proceeds will benefit the school district, and the other fifty percent will benefit the scholarship fund. And the stadium is a great place, a beautiful view and a good venue for music. The manager, Dave Echols, has been really helpful with all of this."

This year will be the very first Shinefest, though Page says, "We will definitely do this again. I'd also like to have some kind of concert series throughout the year, but that plan is still in the works. But Shinefest will absolutely be an annual thing."

Musicians participating at the festival will include: Blues Traveler, The Blue Dogs, The Original Wailers, Gaslight Street, Sol Driven Train, Dangermuffin, and others. "I enjoy good music, and Trip loved music, he had millions of CDs," says Page. "I want Charleston to feel like a bigger city, with lots of different kinds of music, bigger acts and lots of diversity with the bands."

The expected turn out for Shinefest is around 5,000, but Page hopes for as many as 8,000. "My real goal is long term," she says. "I want to make sure that Trip's scholarship is fulfilled, so that a deserving cadet can benefit from it for as long as the Citadel exists. My other goal is to help the school district receive much-needed funds."

Headlining band Blues Traveler is definitely looking forward to helping the cause. "Anytime we have the opportunity to help out the community with education, we're thrilled," says drummer Brendan Hill.

Born in London, Hill and the other members of Blues Traveler grew up in New Jersey, and played together in a high school band. Nowadays, the group prides itself on keeping things different for each show, and Hill looks forward to rocking with the Charleston Shinefest audience.

"We really like to rock, and we love to keep things interesting," he says. We want every show to be different. And when you're in various regions of the country, people listen to music in different ways. In the South, for example, there's a definite camaraderie between the musician and the audience. When we play for Southerners, everyone's in it together, and everyone's there to have fun."

Hill is also confident that Shinefest, being an outdoor show, will draw a crowd. "When you're outside, the music just sounds better," he claims. "When the weather is nice, it puts everyone in a good mood. We've been to Charleston about ten times during our career. It's nice to come back South, especially during the fall, when places like Chicago are already really chilly."

The festival will be noon-9 p.m. Saturday. Besides the general admission tickets, Page is also offering a VIP package, complete with a gift bag and other special perks.

"The VIP tickets are actually the better deal," says Page. "We'll have awesome food and drinks under the tent - real Cuban cuisine, local favorites like D'Allesandro's Pizza, salads and breads from California Dreaming, and an open bar. We're talking all the beer and liquor you can drink."

But it's not all fun and games for adults.

The Children's Universe, open noon-5 p.m., will feature a special Sol Driven Train performance just for kids as well as things like carnival games, crafts and a jump castle.

After the outdoor festival concludes, local establishments Torch and The Pour House will each feature Shinefest after parties. Alex Harris, Pour House owner, plans on attending the outdoor show before hosting the after party.

"The majority of our staff is going to Shinefest," he says. "My wife and I are going, and we're taking our children. We're just going to enjoy the day. I'm looking forward to being outside and taking my kids to some live music."

The after party

The after party at The Pour House (1977 Maybank Hwy.) will feature some of the musicians from the festival, playing a whole new set. The music starts around 9:45 p.m. Participants will be Dangermuffin, Gaslight Street and Sol Driven Train.

"Then, around midnight after everyone plays their set, they're going to start jamming all together," explains Harris. "It's just going to be a group jam. It should be a really fun, good show."

Most importantly, the $10 charge at The Pour House will also benefit the same causes as Shinefest. "One hundred percent of the money will go to (the Trip Page Education Initiative and the school district)," said Harris. "The musicians are all donating their time, which is great."

And of course, you can depend on The Pour House for inexpensive drinks after the festival. "We always have $1.50 PBR," says Harris. "And some other decently priced stuff."

Trip page

To find out more information on Trip Page, go online to www.trippageclassic.com

If you go

What: Shinefest.

When: Saturday.

Where: Joe Riley Stadium, 360 Fishburne St., downtown.

How Much: Advance tickets are $40, available online and at Riverdogs Stadium, the Charleston Music Farm and Merch Underground. Tickets will also be sold at the gate day-of for $45. Student discount tickets are offered at $35, with valid ID, and children 12 and under are free. VIP ticket packages are available for $100 and include food, open bar and a signature Shinefest gift bag.

Benefits: 100 percent of proceeds will benefit Charleston County School District and The Citadel Foundation. As an added thank you, for each ticket sold, a district teacher will be able to attend the event free.

More info: www.shinefestcharleston.com.