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Doug Church

20th Mercer County Italian American Festival

The 20th Anniversary Mercer County Italian American Festival will take place from Friday, September 27 through Sunday, September 29 at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, New Jersey.

Entertainment will include Doug Church, who is performing on Friday evening. Doug is known as the True Voice of Elvis by fans and professionals alike. He began his career in the U.S. Air Force, brandishing a guitar and a home-made costume, where he began winning talent contests held annually by the base. Shortly after leaving the service, he entered the Worldwide Elvis Impersonators contest. It was then off to Las Vegas for the tribute show, “Legends in Concert” and has since traveled the world.

On Sunday evening, September 29, blues great Rob Paparozzi, will be closing out the festival. The New Jersey-based front man, singer and harmonica player has been a performer since 1967 and has worked with many of the biggest names in the music industry including B.B. King, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King and Cyndi Lauper. He has toured the world with the “Original Blues Brothers Band,” featuring guitar legend Steve Cropper and also as front man/lead singer for the legendary “Blood Sweat and Tears.”

The festival will be open from 3:00 pm until 11:00 pm on Friday; noon until 11:00 pm on Saturday and noon until 9:30 pm on Sunday. Admission to the festival is $5; senior citizens 65 years of age and older are $4, while children 12 years and younger are admitted free.

The festival is a rain or shine event with plenty of covered areas for guest comfort (sorry, pets are not permitted). Complete details and schedules can be found at www.ItalianAmericanFestival.com. For more information, contact the Mercer County Italian American Festival Association at 609-631-7544 or visit their Festival Facebook page.