On Saturday, September 10, Chocolate Avenue was transformed into a festival of music and community, all thanks to Music on Chocolate.

Music on Chocolate is a summer concert series run by the Downtown Hershey Association that brings local bands to Hershey every second Saturday of the month. The summer series began on June 11 and ended on Saturday, September 10. This Saturday’s concert featured two local acts, Sweet Corn and Peanut and Nate Myers and the Aces.

Sweet Corn and Peanut, the opening act of the night, played a selection of acoustic pieces ranging in style from folk

to alternative to bluegrass. The musical duo consists of Kehau “Peanut” Wright on vocals and Yuki “Sweet Corn” Stehman on vocals and guitar.

The band got its start in Hawaii, where Wright and Stehman met and began to make their self described “foot stompin’ whiskey music” together. The couple then moved from Honolulu to Harrisburg and have been an active part of the Central PA music scene ever since. This is the first time Sweet Corn and Peanut have played in Hershey.

“We thought the venue and atmosphere was wonderful, and a great place for the whole family.” Wright said.

Nate Myers and The Aces is a Harrisburg based band that plays a mixture of roots, blues, and Americana music. The band’s frontman, Nate Myers, along with bassist Pete Netznik, drummer Kenny Ross, and guitarist Tom Clucker, have been playing large and small local venues since 2004. Nate Myers has also released seven studio albums; several with the band and several solo.

Nate Myers and the Aces has performed at other venues in the area; most recently the band was featured at the Thursday Farmers Market at the Cocoa Beanery.

Now in its second year of operation, Music on Chocolate is a project run by the Downtown Hershey Association that aims to bring downtown Hershey together through music. The Downtown Hershey Association also organizes community events such as the Saturday Farmers Market, an annual “Choctober Fest”, and a Christmas tree lighting. These events are intended to create a downtown atmosphere for Hershey’s locals and tourists.

Richard G. Russell, a member of the board of the Downtown Hershey Association, is in charge of booking the musical acts for Music on Chocolate. According to Russell, Music on Chocolate tries to bring in a mix of local and regional acts from Central PA. In the past, Russell said, Music on Chocolate has been a great success. The concerts typically bring in around 600-800 people, and attract local vendors as well, Russell said.

For the future, Russell hopes to make the Music on Chocolate events more frequent and draw in some regional and national acts. This year’s Choctober Fest will feature the nationally known Rhett Miller, an alternative-country artist from Dallas Texas.

One of Russell’s main goals for Music on Chocolate is to bring Downtown Hershey together through music.

“You can’t beat a summer night with live music to bring people together,” said Russell.