The 5th Annual Music is Art Festival moves into its new location at the 168th Erie County Fair on Saturday, August 11. Proceeds from the popular festival will benefit the many school and community programs offered by Music is Art.

Over the years, MiA has grown to include projects like the High School Awareness Tour, which spreads an empowerment message through music; Music in Action, a 15-session course that serves as an intensive introduction to the music business; MiA Live at the Center, an award-winning series of television programs that brings together musical and visual artists at the UB Center for the Arts; and an instrument drive that has thus far placed over $300,000 worth of refurbished instruments into needy schools.

It’s hard not to like MiA, which was “conceived as a grass roots movement to keep music and arts alive in the Buffalo schools.” Still some, it would seem, don’t find it hard to dislike them at all—at least not in their own backyard.

One group that falls into that category is the Allentown Village Society. For the past four years, the society has viewed the Music is Art Festival as the barbarian at the gate of their Allentown Art Festival.

Mary Myszkiewicz, president of the Allentown Village Society, put it like this: “It wasn’t just us that were unhappy with them. The 20th Century Club couldn’t have weddings anymore. There’s a big medical clinic there now that was being impacted by the music, and also the residents of the Westbrook and Lin Nor [apartments]. It was just not a good fit for what they were doing. What we wanted to have them do was move [1.4 miles] down to Niagara Square. And the people could have walked back and forth.”

What are some of the problems that MiA caused? “The crowd was fine, it’s the same kind of people (who attend the Allentown Art Festival) and they’d walk from one place to the other. It really was the loudness of the music,” Myszkiewicz said. “Very annoying. I wish them [MiA] well. We tried. It was their way or no way.”

In the end, of course, it was the Allentown Village Society’s way: MiA was forced to find a new venue.

“I just think they felt we were crashing their party,” says MiA founder and Goo Goo Doll bassist Robby Takac. “They couldn’t get over that enough to look at all the wonderful things that have happened—are you ready for this—because of them, because we never would have done the our festival were it not for them.

“Because of the Allentown Village Society, there is Music is Art Live at the Center. There are 80 schools that benefited from the Music is Art Awareness Tour. There’s $300,000 worth of instruments recycled back into the schools. There’s a curriculum in Buffalo city schools for kids interested in the music industry. These are all things that have happened because of the Allentown Village Society and the Allentown Art Festival. That’s what’s disheartening to me.”

It’s hard not to overstate the degree of positive energy the Goo Goo Dolls, and specifically Takac, through the Music is Art project, have directed toward Buffalo and Western New York. The number of musicians and volunteers who have freely given their time and talents to Music is Art numbers well into the thousands, and this year’s event at the fair is likely to tap into a new and broader group of supporters.

“Synergy” is the word that always popped up in reference to MiA’s former location, just on the outskirts of the Allentown Art Festival. Despite the annual complaints from fuddy-duddies who—here, in the 21st century—still describe rock and roll as “very annoying,” both events complemented one another. The city was richer for it. And while none of the parties involved want to utter harsh words toward one another, it’s interesting to see what successful synergy can create. Music is art, but it’s also commerce, after all.

This year, MiA’s major sponsors include New Era Cap and Tommy Hilfiger. In order to hold the one-day event at the fair, MiA has put roughly $20,000 into stage, sound and lights, according to local promoter Artie Kwitchoff, who helped coordinate that aspect of the event.

By moving to Hamburg, MiA saves money on security, a big cost that will be provided by the fair. According to Lou Ann Delaney, marketing director for America’s Fair, the event is a “partnership” benefiting both parties. “We give them electricity, property that we would normally rent to a vendor, passes for all the participants, shuttle service for the performers from ECC to the stage. We help them get some donations for the VIP party.”

What’s a little harsh to realize is that once MiA agreed to hold their festival at the fair, the fair then turned around and sold space on either side of the midway entrance gate to corporate sponsors Best Buy and AT&T. How much were these companies willing to throw down to reserve placement right at the entrance to this new and exciting fair attraction? Seven thousand dollars apiece, according to Delaney. Each corporation will be paying America’s Fair $500 per hour to be associated with Music is Art. That’s synergy, and it makes it all worthwhile for the fair.

Robby Takac’s father, Bob Takac Sr., has stepped into a larger role in planning this year’s festival, and he’s very satisfied with the arrangement. The bottom line is that MiA is happy to be at the fair, and they have no complaints. On Franklin Street, it cost them tens of thousands of dollars to pay for everything from permits to fencing to toilets.

The great thing about fairs is you get to see all kinds of people, and getting fleeced is just part of the fun. I once paid to see a man billed as the human blockhead drive a five-inch nail up his nose at a fair. And the carny lifestyle is so close to that of a traveling musician, it’s easy to see how the lovable Music is Art Festival will fit right in. And who knows but that some little boys or girls in attendance will be creatively inspired by the entertainment—whereas the prized sow might leave them a little flat. Still, as MiA branches out to this agricultural venue, its future in the city may not be completely over. Takac intends to get on the phone with people again after this year’s event concludes.

The 2007 Music is Art Festival will take place from 9am-11pm on Saturday, August 11, with over 100 bands, dancers and artists at the Erie County Fair Grounds in Hamburg. As usual, it will be a great spotlight on local talent, and MiA will get a piece of the refreshment proceeds. Enjoy! To see the full lineup, visit musicisart.org.