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McKINLEY HEIGHTS -- Jeffrey Burke has run the Record Connection in McKinley Heights for over four decades.
It was a celebration as Burke marked another Record Store Day on Saturday. It is a day the music industry created to drive business to stores like Burke's.
The parking lot of Pinetree Plaza was filled to capacity as dozens of the spaces were blocked off to accommodate the activity around the plaza record store.
Weathersfield police provided security, as officers kept their eyes on the long lines of vinyl fans who wound in front of the plaza storefronts. At one point, the line stretched around the northwestern end of the plaza along U.S. Route 422. One police officer said he heard one man had camped out overnight waiting for his chance to get inside and sample the special music offerings on vinyl.
Musicians were set up outside under a canopy to entertain the crowds. Before the noon hour, guitarist Damian Knapp was playing an original -- a tribute to the survivors of the Sri Lankan floods.
Cassidy Blessing of Austintown also was inside the canopy browsing the many varieties of vinyl albums that were displayed. Blessing said she has been coming to the event, which was resumed after the pandemic, for several years.
"I love this experience, and I was missing physically coming here to sample the music offerings," Blessing said, noting she was looking for something in the indie pop genre.
Two brothers, Chris and Michael Rutushin, both of Youngstown, were on hand to take in the atmosphere and maybe buy an LP or two. Michael Rutushin said he was going to perform with the Larry Elefante band that was scheduled for an afternoon session under the canopy.
"Jeff (Burke) has always been a big supporter of local music, always generous to us band members, and we want to reciprocate," said Chris Rutushin as he made a few purchases, noting that he got what he came for -- a copy of a release by Corine Bailey Rae.
Record Store Day gained notoriety for Burke and the Record Connection in April 2015, when the Foo Fighters and its frontman, Warren native Dave Grohl, made an appearance there prior to their performance at an induction cermony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The crowd wasn't as huge Saturday, but the sunny skies and warm temperatures made for a festive atmosphere.
Burke said he had hoped a drawing that would give four people the opportunity to purchase the new Taylor Swift LP would draw a younger crowd. Burke said he had only four of the several thousand of Swift LPs made available. The drawing will be Monday.
Hope Bunce of McDonald brought her 3-year-old daughter, Lily, out to her first Record Store Day.
Meanwhile, Hope purchased the Stevie Nicks "Bella Donna" LP among others.
"Stevie is my favorite. I hope to see her live. She's coming to New Jersey later in the year," she said, not saying if young daughter Lily will be going to that concert.
Waiting in line and munching on doughnuts were Kristenne Robison of Niles with her husband and two sons Declan, 7, and Eamonn, 4.
Kristenne Robison said she remembers her parents listening to records when she was young.
"Of course, they played the crooners like Elton John, Barry Manilow and Elvis, and I hope that I've expanded on their music tastes," Robison laughed.
"I've been trying to get the boys listening to my music," she said noting that she had rebuild heer collection about five years ago. "I was around for the edge of the LP, CD and tape era."
Robison said the boys probably will grow up and complain about her taste in music.
gvogrin@tribtoday.com