Bongo Boy Records finds unique way to celebrate 10th anniversary
By: JAY LUSTIG |
The Jersey-based record label and promotion company, Bongo Boy, will present some free music at the White Lake Natural Resource Area in Hardwick Township (Warren County), May 22, to celebrate its 10th anniversary as well as its adoption of a trail there.
Singer-songwriter Paolo Gayan, from Alpha (Warren County), will perform, as will Wildcat O’Halloran, a blues musician from Massachusetts. There will also be a jam session with various musicians. The music will start at about 12:30 p.m., following a cleaning up of the trail that will begin at 11 a.m.
For information about attending and/or participating in the jam session, click here.
The rain date is May 23.
Bongo Boy’s 10th anniversary was actually last year when a gathering was impossible because of the pandemic.
“Each year we have held a jam party at an indoor New Jersey venue and many artists, friends and family attended,” Bongo Boy co-founder Monique Grimme wrote in message about the event to the company’s mailing list. “In 2020 that was not possible. Therefore, we hope that with Adopt A Trail we can organize a monthly event outside that makes you feel good about yourself by helping in cleaning our parks, be comfortable to attend and share good music with each other.” Published
You Are Invited to This Free Event
May 22, 2021
(Rain date 5.23.21) 
The Complete Bongo Boy's Entertainment Line Up
Carol Weakland is an award-winning actress, author, storyteller, singer and Fairy Whisperer who performs over 20 storytelling programs for children and adults. She teaches about nature spirits and everything magical through her books, such as the award-winning Secrets of the Flower Fairies, performances, classes and her YouTube channel: Carol Weakland Sacred Avalon Fairy Whisperer. She is also an Avesa, Reiki, Rainbow Healer.
Carol has performed off-Broadway with the United Solo Festival.  Website
Photo: Wildcat O'Halloran from Mass, will be performing live at this Bongo Boy's Event
Featured on Backroom Blues Volume Six
Track 2. The Wildcat O'Halloran Band
- 51 Right 49 Wrong 4:06
Featured on Backroom Blues Volume Nine
with 2 songs:
Track 5. The Wildcat O’Halloran Band
– Crunch Time 3:25
13. The Wildcat O’Halloran Band
 – Deck of Cards 3:15
Wildcat O’Halloran and his band have been livening up The blues scene in New England for way over 30 years. From their college town base in western Massachusetts, The Cat has backed a who’s who list of Legends including everyone from Greg Allman to John Lee Hooker, and toured nationally. His last two albums (from which the Bongo Boy Blues compilation tracks are selected) have reached top 10 status on the Blues radio charts (his latest, You Can’t Fall Off the Floor, was #5 last week in the RMR Blues Rock charts), and rave reviews from national magazines. 
Matching his guitar intensity with a languid jazz sax, Emily (Pirate Queen) Duff has equally impressed audiences and scribes alike. This month’s Living Blues concludes: “First class musicians, who can wring laughter out of challenging times.”
Bongo Boy Records has featured Wildcat O’Halloran on the records label’s most popular Blues Series releases Backroom Blues Volume Six and Volume Nine by Various Artists.

Paolo Gayan is a local musician from Alpha, NJ. Over the past several years he ran through the motions - went to college, moved to Boston and worked a corporate job. Disillusioned by the monotony of his career, he realized that life wasn’t for him. As soon as he saved up enough money, he left and decided to pursue music full time. He started playing open mics and busking in different cities to gain his initial live experience.
Music Style: Paolo is influenced by a multitude of artists from many genres. However, he mainly draws inspiration from John Mayer, Hozier, Bruce Springsteen, Clapton and many other Blues artists. He plays a funky acoustic style combining enticing rhythms with thoughtful, well-written lyricism.
What’s New: Paolo is currently working with local recording studios to record his first EP with a release date of Fall 2021. He is working his way to getting more involved in the Lehigh Valley music scene. He has originals posted on his Instagram, SoundCloud and YouTube.
 Adopt A Trail Program.

“With the number of visitors White Lake gets throughout the year, it is greatly beneficial to have volunteers come and help pick up trash and clear up any debris on the trails. In addition to removing any invasive plants, that can also be done if everyone is up for it”; Aaron Rosado, White Lake Preserve Manager shared with Bongo Boy during their conversations to make this event an official go in May.
The White Lake Natural Resource Area is a 394-acre preserve in Hardwick Township owned by the County of Warren, New Jersey. White Lake itself is a deep 69-acre spring-fed water body. Beneath the clear blue water lays a chalky marl bottom composed of freshwater mollusk shells and clay. A variety of habitats surround the lake, including fertile meadows, karst limestone exposures, sinkhole ponds, and stands of mature hemlock and hardwood forests. The shoreline is also home to various endangered or threatened plant species. In addition, the preserve is dotted with several cultural and historical points of interest, including a lime kiln and the stone wall remnants of an ice house/marl processing facility.
- Please stay on the marked trails and do not disturb marked sensitive habitats.
- Please remove and carry out any trash.
- Hunting is only allowed by special permit.
- Removal of plants, animals, wood, stone, or other natural materials is prohibited.
- Gasoline-powered boats, motorized vehicles such as ATVs, and alcoholic beverages are prohibited
This Bongo Boy’s event is open to the public and is posted on social media. Please all must RSVP. This is a free event. When successful this will be a monthly event organized by Bongo Boy at the beautiful White Lake and with possibilities to incorporate the historic Vass Farmstead across the lake. The park has 6 miles worth of trails and has many outdoor recreational opportunities, as you can imagine this can keep us busy at each month Adopt a Trail event.
What to bring to this Bongo Boy’s event: mask, work gloves, lawn chair, your own refreshments, sanitizer, and we ask you to wear a red shirt or top with comfortable shoes. 
Meet at the White Barn located on Route 521 in Hardwick, New Jersey on the corner of Spring Valley Rd and Stillwater Rd. There is free parking, and we will start from there.
White Barn address for GPS: 108 Stillwater Road, Hardwick NJ 07825.
Bongo Boy Records an independent record label and promotion company and made its home in beautiful Warren County, New Jersey since 2010.