July 24-30, 2002
In Sarah McLachlan style, the Gwyneth Fair in Franklin Park will bring together five teen bands and vocalists for an all-day Teen Girl Musicfest.
Modeled after the Lilith Fair, the musicfest on July 27 has become "Lilith's Little Sister," since the day of music will be on a smaller scale limited to teen girl performers. Singer-songwriter McLachlan developed the larger Lilith music tour in the mid-1990s to challenge the notion that female performers cannot sell out their shows. The tour did just that for three years straight, with some of the female performers joining different legs of the tour.
"She got a lot of attention since doing that," said Wes Hagood of Ashburn.
Hagood thought up the Gwyneth Fair musicfest after struggling to find locations for his daughter's teen band that were willing to accept performers under 21 years of age. Hagood's daughter Kelley Hagood, 19, along with Sarah Luhrs, 16, and Lauren Smallwood, 15, are members of By Chanz, a band founded in 1999 that plays pop music fused with rap and some rhythm and blues (R&B).
"Why not create a place for them to perform, so the audience could go to them," said Hagood.
Jeffrey Stern, manager of the Franklin Park Performing and Visual Arts Center, agreed to provide the venue for the musicfest and help Hagood promote the event.
"It's a perfect fit for what we do because it's our mission to support artists in Loudoun County," Stern said. "All of the talent is local to us and all girls."
THE MUSICFEST encourages teen female bands and vocalists to perform and add to the self-confidence of themselves and other girls, while strengthening girls' self images. Having self-confidence leads to "girl power," what Hagood defines as a belief in one's own abilities. Girls who set goals take the steps they need toward accomplishing something, while girls without goals can drift and be more susceptible to negative influences, he said.
"This is a great thing for teens," said Claire Smith, administrative coordinator for the county Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, which includes the Office on Youth. "It sends a positive message to males and females that they have talents and they have different ways to showcase that. This is one of those ways."
The teen performers who will sing live original music include By Chanz from Ashburn; Fortune, an R&B band; Angel Fire, a rock band from Annapolis, Md.; and songwriters Lea and Taleen. Lea is a singer who performs jazz and folk. Taleen is a pop vocalist.
"We think it's going to be a real good day all focused on girls," said Hagood, manager of By Chanz.
Rachel Simmons and Marjorie Schlesinger will speak on teen issues. Simmons, who is the author of "Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls," will speak to teen girls and their parents on how to help when girls turn cruel, since aggression can affect girls' self-esteem. Schlesinger, a social worker in Columbia, Md., often speaks on topics such as self-esteem, managing stress and resolving family problems. Here, she will deliver a message about the power of positive self-image and self-esteem. The two speakers will address issues related to growing up as a teenage girl.
"It provides them with inspiration, hope and encouragement," Hagood said.
HAGOOD HOPES the Gwyneth Fair will become an annual event, he said. If so, he plans to expand the musicfest to several locations in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area next year.
The Gwyneth Fair is sponsored by LMG Management and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS). "We feel it's a perfect venue. It combines our support of youth and performance arts in the community ," Smith said. "This is a great opportunity for people to come out and see there are great programs and events for teens."
An estimated 1,000 people are expected to attend the event.