2nd Annual 'Halliestock' Celebrates Caring and Community With Day Of Kid Fun, Star-Studded Entertainment: Sat Sep 24

2nd Annual 'Halliestock' Celebrates Caring and Community With Day Of Kid Fun, Star-Studded Entertainment: Sat Sep 24

For Parents and Teens: top soap opera stars, stage performers to appear

NEW YORK, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The LOVE, HALLIE Foundation presents the second annual Halliestock - a daylong outdoor family festival of kindness, culture, and community - run by kids, for kids - Sat. Sept. 24 in Sunnyside, Queens.

The fun-packed program offers an unusual mix for a family festival: a star-filled lineup of celebrity performances and appearances, with an added focus on creating special opportunities throughout the day for young people to get involved as volunteers in community service organizations.

Headlining the music performances and readings by celebrity artists: Tony-winning musical actress Cady Huffman of The Producers, the bands "Ida" & "Lisa Jackson and Girl Friday," Emilio Delgado who plays "Luis" on PBS' Sesame Street, award-winning children's recording artist and author Jessica Harper, rock group BETTY's Alyson Palmer, and for teens and grownups, Robin Strasser, Melissa Archer and Kamar de los Reyes of ABC's daytime drama One Life to Live, along with teen stars from Guiding Light, All My Children and As the World Turns.

The daytime TV stars appear as part of LOVE, HALLIE's Daytime Unites for Africa campaign. In this first-ever event, all nine TV soap operas will call attention this Fall to the plight of Africans affected by the AIDS crisis. LOVE, HALLIE, in cooperation with Soap Opera Digest, and a number of dedicated non-profits, has been actively working with and raising money to help The Children of Agape - South African children orphaned by AIDS. Several of the Agape children, who have formed an extraordinary singing choir, are flying to the US by special arrangement to appear at Halliestock and other events.

Community service organizations All Souls Soup Kitchen and Best Buddies, among others, will be present all day to encourage young people to take part in their programs to help others. Michael's Arts and Crafts Store of Woodside, Queens will be on hand to help children make cards for sick children and the elderly.

Also performing through the day: Manhattan's famed Marble Collegiate Gospel Choir, Tony Salvatore and Mino Gori, singer/songwriter Tina Shafer -- founder of The Songwriters' Circle at The Bitter End, as well as Marissa Pontecorvo & John Guth, local Sunnyside favorites Richard Younger, The Back Room Band, Hal's Angel's Vaudeville Chorus and Jam Band. In addition, LOVE HALLIE's youth arm, Hal's Angels, which has played a major role in developing and organizing the event, will provide audience participation theatre games, personalized jewelry making, and Insta-Poems, written by kids.

Refreshments will be available for purchase, provided by sponsors Nestle, Krinos Foods and Subway, among others.

LOVE, HALLIE was founded in May 2004 to encourage children to improve their communities and the world. LOVE, HALLIE was formed by family and friends in response to the generous spirit of 11 year-old Hallie Geier, an aspiring writer, actress and social activist who died in a traffic accident. Her message of kindness, respect, community involvement, and social action among young people is best summed by the inscription on the first page of her kindergarten notebook, "People, be nice to each other. Love, Hallie."

Halliestock 2 takes place 12 noon -6 PM, Saturday, Sept. 24, Sunnyside Gardens Park, 49th Street & 39th Ave., Sunnyside, Queens (7 train to 46th/Bliss; G,V,R trains to 46th St.), easily accessible by bus, four subway lines, and close in to Manhattan. Rain or shine. Suggested donation $25/family, $10 individual.

For the second year in a row, the date of Halliestock has been officially designated Kindness Day by the New York City Council, inspired by Hallie's wish to "Do Something Special" to improve the world. More information is available at www.lovehallie.org

PRESS CONTACT: CATHY GUYTON, info@lovehallie.org or NED STEELE: 212-590-2313 neds@MediaImpact.biz

Source: The LOVE, HALLIE Foundation

CONTACT: Cathy Guyton, info@lovehallie.org, or Ned Steele, +1-212-590-2313, neds@MediaImpact.biz

Web site: http://www.lovehallie.org/

------- Profile: Ent