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Soberfest provides alternative to Oktoberfest

By Harry Funk 3 min read
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Rich Woods addresses visitors to Soberfest at the South Park Fairgrounds.

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Sam Gaetano addresses visitors to Soberfest at the South Park Fairgrounds.

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George Weaver, left, and George D’Amato perform as Good News Blues during Soberfest.

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George D’Amato performs during Soberfest.

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George Weaver, left, and George D’Amato perform as Good News Blues during Soberfest.

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George D’Amato performs during Soberfest.

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Rich Woods talks with a Soberfest visitor.

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Sam Gaetano addresses visitors to Soberfest at the South Park Fairgrounds.

The idea for Soberfest grew from a similarly named seasonal celebration.

“The drunks have their Oktoberfest,” Sam Gaetano explained, “and we wanted to offset that.”

He and Rich Woods organized the third annual event as part of their continuing efforts with the Life Recovery support group offered through Compassion Connection, a faith-based organization based at South Hills Assembly in Bethel Park.

Soberfest, held Oct. 3 in the historic South Park Fairgrounds Museum Building, featured a day of fine food, good music, testimonials and prayer, all to demonstrate “how to have fun clean,” Gaetano said.

The Life Recovery group and affiliated Family Rescue – started by his wife, Amy, for family members of addicts – host numerous outreach events throughout the year, often coinciding with otherwise noteworthy dates on the calendar.

“Holidays are the hardest times for families,” Woods said.

For example, Thanksgiving Eve has become the new New Year’s Eve as far as overt alcohol use. An alternative is the annual Gratitude Dinner, sponsored by Life Recovery and Compassion Connection, and held at the former Upper St. Clair recreation center on McLaughlin Run Road.

Other events include Lovefest in February, near Valentine’s Day, and the July “Independence from Addiction,” both at South Hills Assembly.

Woods started Life Recovery in 2005, after he had been sober for 12 years. Gaetano, also recovered, came on board a few years later, bringing with him several men in their 20s whom he was sponsoring in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

“God put all these young bucks in my path,” he said, expressing his concerns about the growing prevalence of drug abuse. “We’ve seen an epidemic in accidental ODs over the last five years.”

Life Recovery, which meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays at South Hills Assembly, is open to people who are struggling with all types of addiction, including ones that have become sanctioned by the state government.

“We’ve had some guys give heavy testimony about gambling,” Woods said, noting the example of a man who lost his pension.

The group was one of the early outreaches of Compassion Connection, started by Bethel Park resident Kay Stepp after she underwent treatment for breast cancer. The organization offers counseling, support, mentoring and other services for members of the local community.

Many of them were on hand for Soberfest, as were musicians who traveled to South Park to share their talents.

Westmoreland County residents George D’Amato and George Weaver performed as Good News Blues, playing original songs with a Classic Rock vibe and inspirational lyrics. They had been in “bar bands,” as Weaver called them, since the 1960s and put the current group together about 20 years ago, as they decided to focus on the benefits of sobriety.

D’Amato recalled an incident that changed his way of thinking.

“One day, I walked by my little girl’s bedroom and thought, how would you be able to take care of your daughter in the condition you’re in?” he said. “I had to get out of that lifestyle.”

The lyrics to one of their songs addresses such a situation and gives hope to others who face it:

“If you’ve hit rock bottom, it’s time to look up.”

For more information, visit http://compassionpa.org

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