Hometown Holidays 2012: ‘More Country,’ Still Plenty of Rock ‘n’ Roll

This year’s Rockville’s Hometown Holidays will be “a little more country” than last year’s.

Sunday’s showcase concert will feature rising country star Easton Corbin, whose first two singles—“A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It”—each reached No. 1 on the charts.

Central Virginia-based rockers Sons of Bill will open Sunday’s show at 7 p.m. in support of their new album Sirens, which was produced by Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven frontman David Lowery.

The 24th annual street festival  once again features more than 40 bands and entertainers and includes a kids stage, an acoustic stage and a freestyle dance stage, with festivities from 1 to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday in Town Center. The summer kickoff draws more than 60,000 people to the heart of the city each year.

Bruce Springsteen tribute band Bruce In The USA will headline Saturday’s concert. DC-area blues favorites The Nighthawks open the show at 7 p.m.

Music and performances begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The movie YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip, with a talk by producer Mark Dixon, will be shown at noon and 3 p.m. at the . Friends of the Library will hold a book sale in front of the library from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Music and performances also begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday and include Rockville High School favorites Somewhat Superhero and soulful multi-Wammie-winning singer-songwriter Patty Reese on the Middle Lane Stage.

Food vendors will offer a “Taste of Rockville,” sponsored by the Rockville Chamber of Commerce and Community Ministries of Rockville. In former years, all the vendors lined Maryland Avenue. But this year the 19 vendors will be found at locations around Town Center and near entertainment.

“Wherever there’s a stage you’ll be in shouting distance of a place to grab a drink and something to eat,” said Shannon Loomis, a city spokeswoman.

Food tickets cost $1.25 each.

The Marketplace Craft Festival’s 29 artisans will have a local bent. Gone is the “high-end art,” Loomis said.

“Everything at the marketplace is going to be handcrafted by local crafters,” she said.

 will hold a teens-only party from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday for county middle school students and incoming sixth-graders with a valid school ID. The line forms at 6:30 p.m. on Gibbs Street. Tickets are $10 (plus service fee) in advance or $12 at the door. Click here for tickets. Check http://www.rockvillerooftop.com after 6 p.m. for cancellations or changes.

Ride and Stride will feature 12-mile and 28-mile bike rides and an untimed 5K run for families from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Registration is required and costs $30 in advance or $35 on Sunday. The bike and run start and finish at . The annual event raises money for the Rockville Recreation Fund to provide financial aid for children to participate in city camps and recreation programs and for the Rockville Bike Fund to provide safety gear, helmets, recycled bikes and safety programs for children.

A Rockville tradition continues on Monday morning, with the city’s 68th Memorial Day ceremony and parade at .

The ceremony will feature a performance by the Rockville Band and Chorus at 9 a.m., followed by a wreath-laying ceremony and 21-gun salute and presentation of colors by American Legion Post 86 at 9:30 a.m. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D) is expected to participate.

Chris Day, a Rockville native and graduate who served two tours in Afghanistan and retired as an Army sergeant, will serve as the grand marshal for the parade, which begins at 10:30 a.m.

 at Martins Lane and North Washington Street. View a map of the parade route here. NewsChannel 8 meteorologist Brian van de Graaff will once again emcee the parade, which will feature drill teams, marching bands, community groups, military units and more.

Town Center is just two blocks from the Rockville Metro station. Parking is available in garages and surface lots throughout Town Center. Click here for a map.

To learn more about Hometown Holidays see the city’s Web site at http://www.rockvillemd.gov and check back with Rockville Patch throughout the weekend for coverage from Town Center.