A little bit of country and a little bit of rock and roll will converge in New York’s biggest playground later this month. And it’s all for a good cause.
Grammy Award-winning pop band Train, known for international hits “Meet Virginia” and “Hey, Soul Sister,” will join top-selling country crooner Tim McGraw as he headlines the one-night-only concert during City Parks Foundation’s annual fundraiser at SummerStage in Central Park on Sept. 28.
According to organizers, both hitmaking acts will perform their biggest songs at the event, which benefits the nonprofit known for producing free programs in NYC parks through arts, education, sports and community-focused initiatives.
Taking place in a tented space in Rumsey Playfield, the dinner and concert will honor iHeartMedia programming chief Tom Poleman with the SummerStage Icon Award and Devon Eisenberg, co-founder of The Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx, with the People & Parks Award.
Poleman, who has been named to Billboard’s Power 100 List for seven consecutive years, is a New York radio powerhouse who has brought his programming expertise to stations such as Z-100, WLTW, Power 105.1 and WOR.
“CPF is honored to recognize Tom, one of the most accomplished and influential leaders in the entertainment industry, for his significant contribution to New York City’s arts and culture,” the organization said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the work that Eisenberg has done with The Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx since 2012 has led it to be lauded for its innovative STEM curriculum.
The all girls public school has a long-standing partnership with City Park Foundation’s Seeds to Trees environmental education program, which the organization says “inspired countless students to become stewards of our natural world … CPF is honored to recognize Devon’s significant contributions to their city, its educational system, and the communities they serve.”
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer (and Bronx native) Steven Tyler received the inaugural SummerStage Icon award in 2018.
