Sept. 9-11, Union City, Indiana, will host the third annual Union City Arts Festival – a celebration of the arts and culture of Union City, with an emphasis on creating opportunities for emerging artists working across diverse media.

The festival will take place over a five-block radius throughout downtown Union City. The celebration begins Friday night with music by “Right Way to Nowhere,” “John Beatrice, “Password Reset” and FEATURING music legend, Grammy award-winning “Eddie Money”.

Eddie Money has enjoyed over four decades of success in the music industry and has recorded numerous top 25 hits in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. Hits that rocked the charts and venues throughout the country such as “Shakin’,” “I Wanna Go Back,” “Think I’m in Love,” Grammy-nominated “Take Me Home Tonight” and perhaps his greatest hit, “Two Tickets to Paradise” are just a few of the songs you will hear Friday night to kick off another successful Union City Arts Festival. In tribute to Eddie’s top 25 hit from 1978, we have dubbed this year’s festival “Two Tickets to Paradise.”

Eddie Money an American rock guitarist, saxophonist and singer-songwriter who found success in the 1970s and 1980s with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums will perform Sept. 9 at the Artisan Park at Rock impresario Bill Graham said of Money “Eddie Money has it all…Not only can he sing, write and play, but he is a natural performer.”

He also charted with singles such as “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets to Paradise.” Money continued his successes and took advantage of the MTV music video scene in the early 1980s with his humorous narrative videos for “Shakin’” and “Think I’m in Love.” To learn more about Eddie Money, visit his web site at www.eddiemoney.com

Saturday kicks off with ambitious programming to feature art exhibitions and numerous musical performances including “Moments Notice,” “Dyslexic Funk.” “Firehouse Band” and “Garcia & Scott.” Capping off the evening will the legendary and Union City’s own “Chris Hawkey and the Chris Hawkey Band.”

In the jigsaw puzzle of life, there’s never been any doubt about where Chris Hawkey fits. Music has always been center stage for Chris, even before he auditioned for, and won, a job as lead singer for a rock band at the young age of 15. Sharing his high school years with high energy nights on stages around Ohio and Indiana set a career path for the singer that continues today with the release of Chris Hawkey, his first Nashville solo album.

Although a six-year stint as lead vocalist for the hugely popular Minneapolis band Rocket Club (and three charted Billboard country singles) helped Chris develop a strong sense of musical identity, nothing prepared him for the sheer thrill of coming to Nashville in 2013 to record with an A-team group of studio musicians. Chris and producer Jason Perri spent many months listening to hundreds of songs by some of Music City’s top tunesmiths, searching for songs with soul, spirit and a sense of simplicity that would reflect Chris’s artistry. Without a major label budget behind him, Chris knew he had to spot-on nail his performances in the studio, making the songs uniquely his own.

“It was so important to me when we started this album that I record songs that were really me,” he says. “I didn’t want to do songs just because they were great songs. I wanted to be able to get onstage and communicate them from my heart. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was come to Nashville and lower the caliber of them by not getting them right.”

Then in early 2014, with the CD just weeks away from release, Chris received two more songs from his producer, songs which he says “flat knocked him out” and brought him back to Nashville for a whirlwind second studio session.

“When Jason sent me ‘Break a Heart,’ I thought it was such a perfectly written song that I couldn’t ignore it,” Chris says. “When I heard it, I called Jason and said, “how quickly can I come down to record this song?’ I wanted to grab it and cut it before someone else did! The other song is called ‘Camera,’ and it’s a fun, upbeat summertime song about capturing a certain moment in time. It adds a lighthearted feel to an album that has a lot of deeply emotional moments.”

The finished eight-song album is a dynamic roller coaster ride that showcases the singer’s strengths and vision. From the album’s lead off single, “My Kind of Crazy,” to the instantly we can all identify with songs like “Underdog,” “Prayers,” and “All I Can,” the album provides a looking glass view of Chris, both as a performer and as a person. Tracks like “All I Can (While I Can)” are relevant, he says, because “the lyrics talk about how our time on earth is limited. I know I’m not going to be able to do this forever, so I want to get as much out of this life as I possibly can, while I’m still able to enjoy it. That’s what this record and this tour — and this life — are all about for me.”

Sunday, please join us beginning at noon as we wrap up the festival with more food, fun, games and music. We will have several Christian bands playing throughout the day on the main stage at Artisan Crossing, featuring the popular Christian group, Attaboy. We are also excited to feature “The Jesus Painte,” one of the nation’s most popular faith artists telling a biblical story while painting amazing art at the same time. You don’t want to miss this!! There will also be games and events for the entire family so bring the kids and enjoy the festivities!!

This three-day festival is more than just music. During the Union City Arts Festival, there will be no shortage of art available for purchase. Area artists will flock to the area to promote their craft and sell their work. Stop by to check out art work. There will also be opportunities to see art and a variety of children’s activities.

The Union City Arts Festival was established to celebrate local, regional and emerging artists. The mission of the festival is to showcase the visual, performing, and culinary arts of Union City and beyond; establish an environment that encourages creativity, expression, and interaction; promote Union City as a vibrant place to live, grow, and invest; provide exhibition opportunities for emerging artists and experimental media, alongside traditional art form; and build community pride through cultural events and connect a diverse range of individuals through the arts. Children’s programming, storefront installations, a beer garden and more will be happening throughout the weekend.

For more information regarding the Union City Arts Festival, visit www.unioncityartsfestival.com. Tickets for the weekend are $25. Tickets may also be purchased at www.unioncityartsfestival.com . Tickets will be available at the door as well, but the public is encouraged to purchase in advance to ensure a place.