Craig’s Alice Pleasant Park will come alive Saturday with music, food and community connection as Partners for Youth hosts the second-ever Rock Out in the Park.

The free, family-friendly series of music performances will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. and will feature a full lineup of local and regional bands, food trucks, games, a dunk tank and a community prize drawing. The event is organized by Partners for Youth and sponsored by a host of local businesses and organizations, all committed to youth empowerment and community well-being.

“It’s an event for the community to enjoy and also learn a little bit more about Partners,” said Lindsay Kohler, executive director of Partners for Youth. “It’s about creating joy, building connection and showing the people of Craig that we’re here and we care.”

While the event is free to attend, donations and sponsorships will directly benefit Partners for Youth’s programs in Moffat County, including school-based mentoring and the Youth Action Council. According to Kohler, those funds are essential for keeping programs running and growing amid economic uncertainty.

“Some of our biggest funding sources come from state and federal grants, and those systems are never guaranteed,” Kohler said. “Grassroots events like this give us local support and help us diversify our funding, so we can keep serving youth in meaningful ways no matter what happens with broader funding structures.”

The idea for Rock Out in the Park came from board member Nick Cocozzella, who organized the inaugural event in 2023. A longtime Craig resident and recording studio owner and musician, Cocozzella said the event was a natural way for him to support the mission.

“I was asked as a board member to help raise money, and for me, music was the obvious answer,” Cocozzella said. “I’ve toured. I’ve produced a lot of local artists and I just wanted to create something fun and impactful. It just kind of clicked.”

Cocozzella organized the lineup, offered free studio time to bands as a thank-you and even performed himself. This year, he’s stepping off the stage to focus on organizing and running the event, which has grown in scope thanks to increased sponsorship and city support.

“Our hope is this becomes a signature event,” Cocozzella said. “The first time we did it, people stayed the whole time. It felt like a real festival with kids playing, adults relaxing and bands hanging out all day. There was something magical about that.”

This year’s musicians include Wordan Jilson and the Wild Bunch, Pennies on the Track, Bar Jay Bar, Jordan Harms and others. Most of the artists are donating their time and have strong local ties. Some have previously recorded with Cocozzella in his studio.

“We’re paying the headliner a small fee, but everyone else is volunteering,” Cocozzella said. “They’re doing it because they believe in the cause and want to be part of something good. It’s not just music, it’s music that matters.”

Beyond the music, Rock Out in the Park offers families a place to connect, relax and support local causes. The park, recently renovated by the city, includes new grass, restrooms and shaded areas, making it an ideal location.

“It’s family-friendly, it’s safe and it’s meaningful,” Cocozzella said. “Whether you’re coming for the music, the food trucks or just to be with friends, it’s a chance to feel proud of where we live and the people who make this community special.”

For Cocozzella, the Partners for Youth mission is personal. As someone in long-term recovery, he understands firsthand how important mentorship and support can be for young people.

“I’ve been sober almost 12 years, and I talk about that publicly,” he said. “Supporting youth, especially in making safe choices, is really close to my heart. Programs like school-based mentoring and fifth-quarter events give students places to go, people to trust and paths to choose something better.”

As the organization continues expanding in Moffat County following its 2020 acquisition of Grand Futures, events like Rock Out in the Park are helping build local awareness, partnerships and collaboration.

“People are still learning who we are and what we do,” Kohler said. “This event is one of the ways we say that we’re here, we care and we’re building something together.”

Kohler added that the feedback from the first event made it clear there was both a need and a desire for more events like it in Craig.

“What we heard was, ‘This was wonderful, we want to be part of this next time,'” she said. “It’s not every day you get to go to a free concert in the park with your family and know you’re also supporting youth in your community.”

Organizers hope to grow the event in coming years, possibly adding a second stage, closing sections of Yampa Avenue and including more vendors and nonprofits.

“But at the heart of it, we want to keep it grounded in what makes it special,” Cocozzella said. “Community, music and supporting youth. Those are the things that matter most.”

For more information about Rock Out in the Park, or to learn how to support Partners for Youth, call 970-870-7401 or visit the organization’s website at PartnersYouth.org.