Supporting musicians at tomorrow’s ROCKTOBERFEST to benefit Hope Elephants are big names themselves and include Tom Ulichny, Resa Randolph and Josieda Lord. The 6-hour music fest at the Camden Snow Bowl Saturday begins at 4 p.m. and highlights the popular local Rock N Roll band Creatures of Habit: Rick Johnson, Chris Coconis, Phil Clement, Elwood (Zelmo) Doran, and Ezra Rugg. Former member Gary Clancy will be their featured guest. They are expected to take the stage about 7 p.m.

 The festival will be held rain or shine. Tickets at the gate are $15 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Food and beverages are not included in those prices.

TOM ULICHNY graduated Magna Cum Laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass in 2005. As a multi-instrumentalist at Berklee, Tom studied guitar, drums, and world percussion, followed by a semester in Pune, India, studying Indian rhythmic systems and tabla, a traditional Indian hand drum. After graduating, Tom worked as an adjunct professor for the St. John School of the Arts in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and was the Director of Music Education for Fell's Point Music in Baltimore, MD, where he developed curriculum for an African drumming program at Living Classrooms Charter School.

In the 12 years that Tom that has been teaching private lessons and music seminars, he has worked with students of all ages and skill levels. Tom now makes his home in midcoast Maine, and is in full pursuit of a lifelong dream, having recently opened the Midcoast Music Academy in Rockland. When he's not playing some obscure kind of frame drum, you can find Tom searching for the perfect trout stream with his two dogs and his fiancée, Anne.

RESA RANDOLPH, a singer/songwriter currently living in Rockport, Maine, matches her powerful voice and vibrant personality with witty and soulful lyrics to recount her childhood in South America, the stories of her unconventional family, and pieces of life. Her songs will make you laugh out loud at one moment, and wipe away a tear in the next.

Resa’s earliest musical influences came from the South American folk tradition, which she learned while living in Bogota & Caracas as a child. There, she was immersed in the rhythms of the cumbia, salsa and merengue. Her first instrument was a Tiple, which is considered to be the national instrument of Colombia. Later, she studied classical guitar as well as folk guitar, while immersing herself in the American folk revival songs of Peter Paul & Mary, the Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Jean Ritchie, and Joan Baez. Upon moving to the US at age 14, she began discovering the roots of American folk, including Appalachian traditionals, Bluegrass and New England contra dance music.

While primarily an acoustic guitarist, she loves to throw some clawhammer banjo into the mix, especially when singing traditional Appalachian songs, such as Shady Grove and Bright Morning Stars. She is as comfortable singing in Spanish as she is in English, and typically she uses her classical guitar to add some fancy rifts to songs such as La Llorona and Casa Olvidada.

JOSIEDA LORD says she tried to learn guitar in high school, but it turned out that she wasn't “tortured or desperate enough”. Luckily, college brought her the requisite angst, and after playing Ben Harper's "Walk Away" for two straight years, she sat down and wrote her first song, "Lonely Hearts Club Disco." It was the beginning of a long stretch of people telling her that her songs were amazing and she should seriously be pursuing music as a career. Instead, Josieda obstinately barreled forward toward a career as a psychologist, convinced she could trap her gypsy spirit in a two-piece business suit and settle down in the suburbs. That didn’t work, so she is doing what she loves instead. The tentative schedule is as follows: Resa Randolph, 4:15-5; Tom Ulichny, 5-5:45; Josieda Lord, 5:45-6:45; Zumba Dancers, 6:45-7; and Creatures of Habit, 7-10 p.m. (Rain or shine)

AND MORE

Vendors include the Taco Libre Truck, Big Bob’s Big Dawgs, 2 Smokin Guys and Hope Orchards. Mainely Bartenders will be serving beer and wine.

Other activities Saturday include door prizes and a 50/50 raffle.

Though the event is intended to be a day out for adults, Hope Elephants will have some children’s activities from 4 to 7 p.m. to entertain kids who come with their parents.

 The tentative schedule for Saturday is as follows: Resa Randolph, 4:15-5; Tom Ulichny, 5-5:45; Josieda 5:45-6:45; Zumba Dancers, 6:45-7; and Creatures of Habit, 7-10 p.m.

Other activities include door prizes and a 50/50 raffle. Though the event is intended to be a day out for adults, Hope Elephants will have some children’s activities to entertain kids who come with their parents.

Major underwriters of Rocktoberfest include the Guerriero Family, Louis and Giavanna Sergi, the Howard-Girard Family, Parris and Cathy Varney, the Sorchini Family, and Standard Waterproofing.

The Camden Snow Bowl recreational facility is located at 30 Barnestown Road, Camden. To reach it from Route 1, turn at John Street (Subway Restaurant) and continue west about 4 miles. From the west, take Route 17 to Route 235, which becomes the Hatchet Mountain Road in Hope. Turn south on the Barnestown Road and continue for about 4 miles. Though some chairs will be provided, attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or folding chairs to be most comfortable. Free parking is on-site.

Hope Elephants is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that is bringing two retired and injured Asian elephants to Maine for care and rehabilitation. Hope Elephants will also be an educational destination where visitors, especially school-age children, will have an opportunity to see, hear, and interact with the animals as a platform to present the big issues surrounding conservation, habitat destruction, and ecology. Funds raised at this event will go to meet these projects. For more information about Hope Elephants and its projects, see their website at www.hopeelephants.org or follow updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hopeelephants, That page is visible to the public without logging into the site.