YFest, a local music festival, took place in Northbrook month on Saturday, September 15. The show, organized by the Junior Executive Board at the North Suburban YMCA, was created to raise depression awareness as well as money for Erika’s Lighthouse. The six bands that performed consisted of GBS and GBN students.
“When [the board] was planning YFest, we were talking about how it’s like a ‘mini-Lollapalooza,’” Therese Snow, Junior Executive Board member said. “It is basically where a bunch of local bands come and play and you can come and listen.”
One band that consisted of six GBS students and one GBN student was Zaramela. They were asked to play at YFest when the event was in its initial stages of planning.
“A lot of people haven’t had a chance to hear our band play at any public shows,” Zaramela guitarist Jameson Brenner said.
The purpose of YFest was not only a way to showcase the talent in the area, but to also give students an alternative to illicit behavior.
“YFest is something different and fun for Glenview and Northbrook,” Snow said. “It’s something to pull kids away from drugs and alcohol and to show them there are so many other things they can enjoy doing.”
YFest was an overall a success, according to board member Kaci Castino.
“I think it went great!” Castino said. “It might have been a little slow in the beginning, but by the end a lot of kids were having a really good time.”
According to Snow, the money raised by the event is being donated to Erika’s Lighthouse, an organization involved in raising awareness of teen depression. Some audience members, like GBN sophomore Toby Klein, believed that the choice to donate to Erika’s Lighthouse was a wise decision.
“Erika’s Lighthouse is a great organization that helps to remove the stigma of depression and raise awareness about it,” Klein said. “The Northbrook community has been shaken by the recent suicides, and it’s comforting to know that organizations like Erika’s lighthouse are helping to raise awareness about depression and other things that have become very relevant in our community.”
The YMCA will most likely continue to host events similar to YFest in the future, but there is still room for improvement, according to Castino.
“[YFest] is going to continue,” Castino said. “The Junior Executive Board is looking forward to having new ideas on new upcoming events… Maybe in the future we could figure out a way to make it more creative.”