East Regiment Beer Co. Brings Splash Of Reggae To Salem Willows

SALEM, MA — Scott Perry had high hopes when he and high school pal Joshua Engdahl opened the East Regiment Beer Co. taproom on Church Street in Salem in 2019.

Like a lot of their fellow brewers and taproom owners on the North Shore, Perry and Engdahl had a good amount of those hopes put on hold during the two-plus years of the COVID-19 health crisis and its associated restrictions.

But one hope Perry clung to was a large-scale event that would help promote the brewery, raise money for charity and provide some great entertainment for himself, his staff and all of his customers.

On Sunday, those hopes will turn into reality when East Regiment hosts the first Salem Reggae Festival at Salem Willows.

"We had always been looking to build toward something like this," Perry told Patch on Thursday. "We had been looking at some concert stuff and other events and we were able to get some grant funding for it through the city. So this is the test.

"It's an economic drill. What is the turnout going to be? Is it feasible for a business of our size? This was the biggest bite we were willing to take from a business perspective to see."

The early returns are positive with Perry telling Patch that more than 2,000 people have indicated they are interested in attending on the brewery's Facebook page and more than 500 saying they plan to attend.

Salem Reggae Fest is set for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 173 Fort Avenue at the Salem Willows. There is a $20 fee to enter the beer garden where attendees will have a chance to drink some great craft beer at the Willows, get an up-close view of the three bands and contribute to money raised for the Fisher House of Boston.

Perry, a U.S. Navy veteran, said ticket revenues will go toward Fisher House Boston's efforts to provide veterans' families a free place to stay while they are undergoing care at a Boston medical facility. Engdahl spent time with the Merchant Marines, so both founders have a military background.

"If we were going to do it we wanted to go big on it and have someplace to do it for," Perry said. "I did some reading up on Fisher House and it seemed like a great charity. For a while, we've been looking to help out a veteran cause.

"So it was: 'Hey, if we're doing to do the show, now it's our opportunity.'"

Perry said it has been a hustle to get the details together after obtaining the myriad municipal approvals and required permits but he is excited to slot in a reggae fest in between some of the city's summer activities and the beginning of the Halloween crunch.

The Flying Vipers, Clatta Bumboo and Roots Government, and Redemption are the bands booked for the show.

"We're big-time reggae fans over here," he said. "At the same time, it's something a little different from what everyone else is doing. There are lots of good bands around here and we were lucky to find three pretty killer ones who were available for this date.

"It just kind of came together. Selfishly, I am really looking forward to hanging out and watching it."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)