The Sunday of Labor Day weekend will once more be filled with music thanks to the “tenth and final” Panacea & Friends Reunion, say organizers. The event is planned for Sunday, September 3, from 2 to 6 pm, at Dickinson Park, Elm Drive. It will happen rain or shine.

Leslie Ballard, Corky Ballard, Jon Dodson and Rick Kuhn will return to perform as their band Panacea, 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, the band reunited again, to perform a full show at Dickinson Park, and has continued almost every year since.

There is no admission and all ages are welcome.

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 donate 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 that year.

The band will also 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.

In the event of any last-minute changes, visit Facebook.com/PanaceaNewtown.