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Members of the Asbury Park City Council presented a proclamation to representatives from the annual Light of Day Festival declaring the week of January 12 “Light of Day Week” in the city.

Light of Day is a five-day concert series that raises funds for research and treatments for Parkinson’s disease and related illnesses. The festival started as a single concert held at The Stone Pony 13 years ago, according to the foundation website. It has since grown in to an international festival that kicks off in Asbury Park the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. day.

“It’s great to be a part of the community,” said Bob Benjamin, founder of the Light of Day Festival. “We’re glad the Paramount remained open so we can do it again there.”

The Sun reported in August that the event organizers had considered holding the main show in Red Bank’s Count Basie theater since the Paramount Theatre’s current owners could not guarantee the venue would be open at the time.

More than 100 artists will perform at several different venues in the city from Jan. 12-20, 2014. Venues include the Wonder Bar, The Saint, Asbury Lanes, The Stone Pony, Tim McLoone’s Supper Club, Dauphin Grille at The Berkeley Hotel, Watermark, Langosta Lounge and Toast.

“We try to incorporate as many venues as possible, get as many people as possible to attend, and offer as many different kinds of music as possible,” said Light of Day Foundation board member Cheryl Streich.

The Asbury Park week of shows serves as the culmination of worldwide events held in Canada in March and 11 other European countries in late November and early December.

In a news release issued in late October, promoters announced John Rzeznik, best known for his string of hits with his band Goo Goo Dolls, will headline the main concert event on the historic Paramount stage Jan. 18. Rzeznik was also the headliner in 2008.

Tickets for the series of shows go on sale at noon Saturday, Nov. 2 through Ticketmaster.  A wide variety of combination ticket packages and single event tickets will be available. Additional show listings and ticket prices can be found at the Light of Day website. A complete list of shows can be found here.

The proclamation reads as follows:

Whereas:

The City of Asbury Park, recognizes and acknowledges the unique and outstanding contribution The Light of Day Foundation brings to the city every January when it hosts and annual concert and tour stop in Asbury Park; and

Whereas, the Light of Day Concert Series is not in its fourteenth year and what began as a single concert in November 1998 at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park to celebrate the birthdays of several music industry veterand has not grown into thirty-five shows throughout the United States, Canada and Europe; and

Whereas, the organization raises money for funding research into possible cures, improved treatments and support for patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease (PD) Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and related illnesses; and

Whereas, Light of Day concerts will take place in Asbury Park from Thursday, January 12, 2014 through Monday, January 20, 2014; and

Whereas, the Annual Light of Day Concert’s annual January stop on the tour in Asbury Park brings thousands of fans to the city, generates international publicity, and provides a significant boost to the city’s economy.

Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Mayor and Council of the City of Asbury Park, do hereby declare the week of January 12, 2014 as “Light of Day Week” in Asbury Park.

[Photo at top: Light of Day Foundation board members Cheryl Streich and Ron Streich, founder Bob Benjamin, board member Tony Pallagrosi and Asbury Park Mayor Myra Campbell, who presented the proclamation.]

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