Ritchie Valens Fest to Rock the Weekend

Almost 40 years after his death, the music of Ritchie Valens lives on in his hometown.

On Friday and Saturday, half a dozen bands, including one featuring Valens’ nephew Ernie Valens, will pay tribute to the late rock star’s style and spirit at the fourth annual Ritchie Valens Festival at the Pacoima park named for him.

“It’s a day to appreciate the positive role model that Ritchie Valens was and to celebrate his music,” said Councilman Richard Alarcon, one of the organizers of the event.

The festival will run from 6:30 to 11 Friday night, featuring three rock bands, said event sponsors. Three more bands will play Saturday between 5 and 10 p.m. at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd.

The free public event will also have carnival games, rides and concession stands.

The festival is also a way to spotlight the talents of the area’s young musicians, Alarcon said.

“They’ll play some of Ritchie Valens’ songs, but they’ll also play their own contemporary rock,” he said. “They’re really good, too.”

The festival was created four years ago to celebrate the renaming of Paxton Park as Ritchie Valens Park.

Valens, a cultural icon of the area, was 17 when he died in a 1959 plane crash that also took the lives of musicians Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper.

“Ritchie Valens is important to the people of Pacoima,” Alarcon said. “He is such a positive role model. He gives people pride in their community.”

For information, call (818) 834-5172.