Update: The new date for this event will be Wednesday, August 14th from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. The original date 7/31/24 was postponed as a result of a rainstorm that swept through the area.
“There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home,” said Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz as she clicked her heels three times. “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” sang Bon Jovi in his 2005 Billboard Top 30 hit. And Daughtry told the world, “I’m going home, to the place where I belong, where your love has always been enough for me.”
On July 31, 2024, Cheyenne See, lead vocalist, singer, and front woman of one of the most sought out pop-rock country party bands in the Hudson Valley, Hillbilly Parade, will once again make her way home to Peekskill where she will perform in front of her hometown crowd to close out the Peekskill Riverfront Concert Series for a two hour set from 7 to 9 p.m.
Established in 2014, Hillbilly Parade, plays more than 250 shows a year. The band is fun, energetic and beloved everywhere they go due to their witty stage humor, line dancing, and high energy tuneful sets. With a collective 30 plus years of experience in music; both live performance and professional training, Hillbilly Parade strives to be more than just “background music”. They have worked and performed with nationally known acts like Comedian Rodney Atkins, Country singer Eric Paslay, and Country singer Jerrod Nieman.
Photo Credit: Christine Haynes
Leading the band is frontwoman, lead singer, vocalist and Peekskill native, Cheyenne See. Cheyenne lived most of her childhood life in the City of Peekskill, where she attended Woodside elementary school. “Cheyenne loved music from a very young age and began singing around the age of three,” said her mom Christine Haynes.
Christine saw how much her daughter loved to sing and act and fostered Cheyenne’s talents and passion in every way she could. As Cheyenne was growing up, Christine sought out free or low cost performing opportunities everywhere and anywhere to help cultivate Cheyenne’s passion, allowing her to develop her singing voice and acting skills.
Some of Cheyenne’s first memories of performing began in Peekskill as a child. Cheyenne remembers participating in a program that combined dance and acting at the Peekskill City School District’s Administration Building. That program helped showcase her abilities and talents, and helped build her confidence to perform. The foundations that were laid by the programs she attended helped her flourish and blossom into the performer she is today.
In discussing some of her fondest memories of growing up in Peekskill, Cheyenne states, “Our family would frequent the Peekskill Riverfront Concert Series over the years. I remember walking from our home on Ringgold Street all the way down the steepest hill, Hudson Avenue to get to the Riverfront Green to watch, sing, and dance with the artists and bands.”
After moving out of the City in her adolescent years, Cheyenne never forgot where she grew up, and still refers to Peekskill as her hometown. Even though she moved north with her immediate family, her grandparents, and much of her extended family still live in Peekskill today. She rarely gets days off these days, but when she does, she tries to come back and visit family as often as she can when not traveling or playing gigs, attending auditions for shows such as The Voice, or generally being busy with life.
In her teenage years, Cheyenne came back to the City to perform in a production of “CATS” at the Paramount Theater. After graduating high school and Duchess Community College, Cheyenne went on to become an alumni of the Broadway Theater Project. She has been in over 30 theater productions and directed countless others, with a focus on children’s theater. She has appeared on 3 television shows, and won a regional theater award at The Kennedy Center College Theater Festival. 6 years ago, Cheyenne joined Hillbilly Parade as the lead singer. Two years ago, Cheyenne came back to the City of Peekskill to lead Hillbilly Parade in getting people out of their seats to dance all around the riverfront shutting down the 2022 Riverfront Concert Series in style. Now she is back with the band to do it again.
Cheyenne is proud to call Peekskill her native hometown. She is “thrilled to be back at the Riverfront Green in Peekskill at an event I so fondly remember.” She cannot wait to perform in front of her hometown crowd and all of her family, many of which still reside in the City. Cheyenne says through all the ups and downs, she “is most appreciative of her mother, Christine Haynes, and her grandparents, Mary and George Williams, who have continually supported her dreams and endeavors as a singer, actor and director throughout her life’s journey.”
Tomorrow, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, from 7 – 9 pm, see what all the hype is about as Cheyenne leads Hillbilly Parade and the City of Peekskill as they tear up the rug and bring the house down at the final concert of the Riverfront Concert Series.
Photo Credit: Dave Mueller
Stay tuned to the Peekskill Parks and Recreation Department Facebook Page, the City of Peekskill Facebook page and the Peekskill Herald for upcoming events at the Riverfront including the Jazz in the Park Festival on Sunday August 11th starting at 1:00 pm.
Visit the Peekskill Herald Events Calendar Features and the Peekskill Herald Event Calendar to see more local events.
If you would like to have your event publicized and advertised for free, please add your event to the Peekskill Herald Event Calendar. You may even get to become a highlighted featured event of the week. Do you like what you see? Click here to subscribe for free to the Peekskill Herald. Do you really like what you see and want to support local thriving journalism? Click here to donate and become a member of the Peekskill Herald. The Peekskill Herald is a 501c3 charitable organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
