Dickinson Park on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend will once more be filled with music thanks to the “tenth and final” Panacea Reunion, say organizers.

Leslie Ballard, Corky Ballard, Jon Dodson and Rick Kuhn will return to perform as their band Panacea, which originally formed while the band members were students at Newtown High School in the early 70s.

Panacea this year will be joined by Christian Martirano, Tod Willie, Jim Lynch, Josh Ferguson and Jim Clark, according to Leslie Ballard.

“We have some great musicians playing with Panacea core to play the original arrangements of the 60s and 70s set list,” Ballard told The Newtown Bee. “As always, Newtowners, the Willie Portera Trio — Tod and Jay Willie and Tom Portera — are opening.

“The Rue, a popular NHS band in the 1970s, is reuniting to play a few songs,” she added.

Panacea reunited in 2013 to perform during The Great Newtown Reunion that summer. Following that event, Panacea has returned to perform at Dickinson Park on Labor Day weekend most of the years since.

“It was a very unexpected thrill to get the old band back together once a year to be with Newtown friends, but we’ve decided that this will be our last,” Ballard said. “It will be a really nice way to wrap it up.

“It will be sad, but who else has been as lucky as us, playing music we love, sharing memories, and being together again with so many friends?” she added.

The music on September 3 will begin at 2 and continue until 6 pm. The event will be centered around the park’s pavilion, off Elm Drive.

There is no admission and all ages are welcome.

Ballard said the NHS Classes of 1968, 1970 and 1973 are also planning reunions that weekend, including Sunday afternoon events at the park.

All are invited to carry in chairs and/or blankets for seating. Dancing will be encouraged.

Weenie Lynn’s food truck will be on-site, with vegetarian options.

Park rules do not allow pets or alcohol.

Attendees will be asked to make a donation to the final Bridget Seaman Memorial FAITH Food Pantry Drive. Seaman was a staple at the community concerts, where she would help organize and transport the FAITH Food Pantry donations. She could also frequently be seen making friends while passing around her “Flat Bridget” cutout (an homage to Jeff Brown’s Flat Stanley book series) for people to pose with for photos. Following Seaman’s sudden death in April 2021, Panacea honored her by renaming the annual collection in her memory.

Additionally, the band will be conducting a gofundme campaign to raise funds for Ability Beyond and Sandy Hook Promise.

“We wanted to do something special this time, so Panacea will be raising money to donate to two of the exceptional organizations we can all support,” Ballard explained.

The Tenth & Final/2023 Panacea Reunion will go on rain or shine – it’s happened under both conditions in the past. The 2021 concert, the most recent performance by Panacea (and friends), happened during a very rainy afternoon yet pulled in a very happy crowd to the performance area.