Third-Annual Erie Otters Home Opener Fan Fest Announced

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Erie Otters

Third-Annual Erie Otters Home Opener Fan Fest Announced

August 28, 2024 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Erie Otters News Release


Erie, Pennsylvania - A fan-favorite, family-friendly annual festival returns for the third-straight year as the Erie Otters host the Home Opener Fan Fest on September 28.

The Fan Fest is hosted ahead of the Otters' first home game of the season on the promenade of the Erie Insurance Arena at 3:00 P.M., with doors opening at 6:00 P.M. to Home Opener 2024 (pres. by Erie County Community College). Last year's edition of the Home Opener and Fan Fest marked the first in September in a number of years, allowing fans to soak up sunshine and unseasonably hot weather while enjoying tunes from regionally-regarded country musicians.

The third edition of the free-to-attend Home Opener Fan Fest will feature staples that have made the previous years' affairs so memorable. Fans of all-ages will be able to enjoy live music, a vendor fair, local food trucks, various yard games, kid-focused entertainment, and the incredibly popular Red Carpet player entrance. Attendees 21+ will also be able to enjoy an array of adult beverage options while partaking in the festival's fun.

As a developmental organization focused on the growth of young players into hockey stars, so to does our Fan Fest allow notable, rising musicians to continue to establish themselves as artists-to-watch. This year's trio is no different, with a over 286,000 combined monthly listeners, as the Otters are thrilled to welcome out Alli Walker ("Red Wine or Whiskey", "The Whiskey's Gone"), Todd Cameron ("Ruin My Truck", "Waiting on You"), and Karen Waldrup ("Me Again", "I Hope You Dance").

KAREN WALDRUP

It's been a whirlwind few years for BMI songwriter and NARAS member Karen Waldrup - capped off by the release of her sophomore album Kendall County Road in 2023 and becoming a household name in 2024.

Known most notably for her top-five finish on season 25 of NBC's The Voice earlier this year (under the tutelage of coaches and country music star Dan + Shay), Waldrup began making a name for herself long before her appearance on national television. In fact, it was back in 2018 that Waldrup's name started infiltrating the radars of country music upon the release of her debut album JUSTIFIED. The Garth Fundis (Alabama, Trisha Yearwood) produced record debuted on four Billboard Album charts and earned a Song of the Week accolade from Rolling Stone magazine.

Prior to her debut on The Voice, Waldrup was named the Torch Award winner at the 2019 Keith Whitley Fingerprint on Country Music Awards, pinned as a Top Five Artist to Watch in 2023 by Country Evolution, and has scored 12 Nashville Industry Music Awards.

Waldrup has wandered the expanse of the east coast this year on her Summer 2024 Tour from Texas to Maryland and everywhere in between.

ALLI WALKER

The pipeline from Prince Edward Island to Nashville is more common in the hockey industry than it is in the country music industry - but don't tell that to Sony Music Publishing artist Alli Walker. The native Canadian's determination and diverse sound led her from a Toronto-based TikTok innovator to becoming a rising force in Music City USA.

Taking cross-genre inspiration as a musician from Sum 41, Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, and Brooks & Dunn, it should come as no surprise that Walker isn't afraid to take risks musically. From her country-bagpipe fusion hit The Whiskey's Gone - which garnered 10 million views on TikTok and two million streams globally - to the intimate, raw sounds of her debut album The Basement Sessions: What I've Learned So Far, Walker has combined resiliency with creative intuition.

Now signed with renowned record label RECORDS Nashville and managed by Vector Management, Walker's résumé features an appearance on Spotify Canada's Radar Artist on the Horizon, invitations to speak on gender equality in country music at the 2023 Canadian Country Music Awards, and a #6 debut on the global iTunes Country charts.

With nearly 800,000 followers on social media - over 7x the population of her hometown P.E.I - Walker's unmatched work ethic and pop/country sensibilities have her circling the country music spotlight. Prior to her stop in Erie, Walker recently finished international shows opening for Shania Twain and Josh Ross.

TODD CAMERON

Todd Cameron doesn't write stories; he shares experiences. Everything he writes leaves his listeners comforted that they are not alone in whatever they might be going through. Music is not just what he writes, it's what he lives. From tales of heartbreak, leaving home, growing up in a small town, or the frustrations of trying to make it, Cameron's music is an uplifting exploration of life's key moments.

Cameron draws his musical influences from a mixture of Matchbox 20, Jason Aldean, and Tom Petty - resulting in the vulnerable but uplifting country-rock sounds of the West Virginia native. Working without a record label in Guitartown, Cameron's music and ability as an entertainer have carried the torch for him - playing over 1500 shows as a frontman. Cited as "criminally underrated" by UPstar. Music in a spotlight last year, Cameron has positioned himself as an artist able to to open for major country music acts such as Florida Georgia Line, Chase Rice, Jake Owen, and Riley Green during his career. In 2024, Cameron has played dozens of shows in Nashville, Las Vegas, Indiana, Wisconsin, and will close the year out after Erie with stops in his home of West Virginia, and with three nights at the legendary Flora-Bama venue in Pensacola, FL.

Authenticity is critical in country music, and Todd Cameron's emotive lyricism and melodic joy have put him on many radars as the next star from Nashville.

The doors to the EIA will open for all at 6:00 P.M., with the first 1500 fans in attendance receiving a free Erie Otters tee shirt courtesy of the night's presenting sponsor, Erie County Community College. Before the puck drops against Brampton, Alli Walker will perform O Canada, and Karen Waldrup will perform the Star-Spangled Banner.

Home Opener 2024 (pres. by EC3) promises to be one of the biggest celebrations of the season. Don't delay to purchase tickets, as they will go fast - to get yours, click here.

The Erie Otters are ecstatic to welcome all fans to the front lawn of the Erie Insurance Arena for the final block party of the Summer, and to officially kickoff the new season of hockey.

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