Styx front man headlines ’15 Oyster Festival

Three national acts will take the stage at the 2015 Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival, the 38th incarnation of the event. They include John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band playing Friday, Sept. 11; Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx on Saturday, Sept. 12; and Smash Mouth on Sunday, Sept. 13.

The lineup is in keeping with past acts who have signed on, like Joan Jett, who was rained out last year, and 2013”™s The Village People.

DeYoung was keyboardist and distinctive lead vocalist for Styx through its heyday of the ”™70s and ”™80s and left the band in the ”™90s.

John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band are a New England group best known for their soundtracks for the “Eddie and the Cruisers” movies.

Smash Mouth is a California band with hits of its own and a string of hits covering other bands”™ music, including “I”™m a Believer.”

This marks the fifth consecutive year First County Bank will be presenting sponsor.

“We have another year of great national musical acts lined up,” said festival Chairman Mike Reilly. “Dennis DeYoung, founding member of Styx, who wrote seven of their eight Top Ten hits including ”˜Lady,”™ ”˜Come Sail Away.”™  Smash Mouth with their big hits such as ”˜All-Star,”™ ”˜Walkin”™ on the Sun,”™ and ”˜I”™m a Believer.”™  Plus, John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band that achieved international success with the soundtrack to the movie ”˜Eddie & The Cruisers”™ as well as songs in the soundtracks of ”˜Jersey Girl”™ and ”˜There”™s Something About Mary.”™”

Besides the main-stage acts, dozens of local and regional musicians will perform on the Hour/Heineken stage.

Returning after their popular debut last year will be the Nerveless Nocks Thrill Show, stunt artists that perform motorcycle high wire acts and other daredevil routines, the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, a craft beer tent with more than 25 beers, an expanded food court, the largest ever Arts & Crafts Pavilion with more than 100 artisans and crafters, the oyster slurping contest, and much more.

The Norwalk Seaport Association was founded in 1978 as a nonprofit organization “dedicated to the preservation, education and public awareness of Norwalk”™s maritime environment and heritage.”  The association and its volunteers are solely responsible for organizing and financing the festival.  In addition to the festival, the association owns and maintains Sheffield Lighthouse and grounds as a museum and nature preserve. For more information, visit www.seaport.org. or call 203-838-9444.