Bath, NH - Last Saturday night, The Rocking Chairs’ soulful classic rock music reverberated for miles as townspeople, young and old, congregated on the Bath Common one final time to sing, dance, and celebrate.


The Rocking Chairs, a local band comprised of close friends and family, has been the heart and soul of the Bath Firefighters’ Benefit Concert/Street Dance for the past 17 years, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 when public venues throughout the state were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band, which currently features brothers Mike and Jim Lusby on drums and bass guitar respectively, Ron Barale and Bobby Caffey on guitar and Alex Valliant on lead vocals, makes it their mission each year to share their passion for music with family, friends, and neighbors. Their annual concert is free and doubles as an opportunity to help raise funds to support the town’s 17-member volunteer fire department. “[Chief] Donnie Bowman has said to me many times that, even if we didn’t raise any money or get any donations, the Fire Department loves giving the town something to do together,” Mike explains. “I think that’s perfectly worded because that’s what it’s all about.”


According to Mike, former Fire Chief Willy Minot was receptive when he approached the Fire Department in 2007 with a philanthropic proposal to cultivate community spirit and raise much-needed funds. The Rocking Chairs’ relationship with the Fire Department evolved from there. Monies raised have provided numerous college scholarships for local seniors and helped off-set the cost(s) of big ticket items, such as equipment, so that firefighters have access to the tools they need without over-burdening tax payers. “It was Ron’s idea to do a benefit for some entity, and we’ve been doing [the concert/street dance] ever since.”


From January to August each year, a considerable amount of work happens behind the scenes. Mike handles most of the event planning, from scheduling and advertising to production and sponsorships. He has developed a network of local businesses that donate goods and services, including WMUR meteorologist Kevin Skarupa, who provides up-to-the-minute forecasts starting one week before the event. “He’s our lucky charm,” Mike quips. “We haven’t been rained out in 17 years.”


In order to “pull this off,” Mike says, it requires an incredible amount of support from a myriad of community partners. Strawberry Farm Band opens for The Rocking Chairs, Don Vogt from Audio Farm Productions provides sound and lighting, and the Bath Police Department, with assistance from surrounding departments, provides crowd control and emergency services. “People have really respected it,” Ron comments. “We’ve never had any problems. Nobody ever disrespected it.”


Other sponsors include: WYKR, Amoskeag Beverages, The Little Grille, Jamie Lynn’s Kitchen, Red’s Auto Spa, Heathen Design Co., and Fresh Coat Finishes. In addition to holding a raffle, the Fire Department prepares a barbecue luncheon consisting of burgers, hot dogs, potato chips, and soda. They also “took over a lot of the heavy lifting” several years ago when assembling the stage, risers, etc. became too much for the band members. “We do the benefit for them, but they do a lot of the work.”


Given their popularity and overwhelming success, one might question why The Rocking Chairs would call it quits after nearly two decades of performing for the community they love. “Unfortunatley life changes,” Mike says, citing increasing costs, travel expenses, arthritis, and other health issues as the main reasons. “We will still record and do parties on the grass [at home] during the day when it’s warm, but we’re getting too old for this.”


When asked about the future of the Street Dance, Chief Bowman replies, “It’s tremendous what Mike has done. I don’t think it’s the right thing to do to have someone take Mike’s spot at the Street Dance because it’s Mike. It’s his doing. It’s The Rocking Chairs. It’s their thing. It just doesn’t feel right.”


The Rocking Chairs may have had their last curtain call, but fans can still purchase their music, including originals and covers, on a variety of platforms, such as Amazon Music and iTunes.

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