AmbroPalooza: Sunday's music fest to honor beloved Sparta, Dover coach Ambrosino
WALPACK — Those who knew the late Coach Rob Ambrosino best say he lived his life like a concert. This weekend, they will celebrate him with a concert in his name to benefit the communities where he had the greatest impact.
The inaugural "AmbroPalooza" to honor the former teacher and coach will take place from noon to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Walpack Inn, with doors opening at 11 a.m. The festival will feature a variety of musicians who knew Ambrosino and also raise scholarship money for students involved in athletics and the arts.
"We're not mourning Rob — we're celebrating Rob," said the musician Rostafa, a close friend of Ambrosino's who organized the festival.
Ambrosino, a native of Sparta who died suddenly of a severe brain aneurysm at age 55 last September, played football for Sparta High School and later returned to his alma mater as a teacher and coach. He then moved on to Dover High School, where he taught business and coached football, basketball and softball.
Ambrosino also had a passion for music that made him "a bit of a folk hero" in the community, Rostafa said. According to his obituary, he regularly attended open mic nights at the Lake Mohawk Country Club and performed at restaurants and parties throughout Sparta.
It was at one of those open mic nights in 2019 when Rostafa first met Ambrosino, and the two immediately formed a close bond through their music.
"It was one of those relationships where you meet somebody and you feel like you've known them your whole life," Rostafa said.
The community support following Ambrosino's death was swift and extensive. A GoFundMe created to benefit his wife, Kristina, and three children has raised more than $150,000, and friends and loved ones held a celebration of life on Oct. 31.
Despite the outpouring of love, Rostafa was still inspired to honor his larger-than-life friend in a more unique way.
"I just felt like it wasn't over," he said, "and I felt like we could do something more substantial."
So, with Kristina's blessing, Rostafa began contacting Ambrosino's musician friends and looking for a suitable local venue to host a music festival. He also secured a sponsorship for the event with Sparta UNICO, an Italian heritage organization in which Ambrosino was heavily involved along with his father, Jerry.
The festival was dubbed AmbroPalooza, which will make its debut Sunday. The event was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed a day due to the threat of storms in the forecast.
Sunday's lineup includes Rainbow Full of Sound, a Grateful Dead tribute band, as well as Rostafa and several other acts who have played with Ambrosino over the years. Festival attendees can purchase food and drinks from local vendors and enter to win several raffle items.
The event will be a way for those closest to Ambrosino to remember him and the impact he had. Rostafa recalled his friend as a bit of a prankster, but a genuine and fun-loving person who cherished his roles as a teacher and coach.
"His ambition in life (was) to see other people succeed," he said. "He wanted people to live their best lives and be unapologetically who they were."
Rostafa is hoping for a turnout of at least 500 people Sunday, and he wants to double that number next year as AmbroPalooza becomes an annual event. Moving forward, his goal is to increase the student scholarship money so Ambrosino can continue his legacy in future generations.
"I don't see a reason why Rob's life should end with one event," Rostafa said.
Tickets for the event are $40 and can be purchased online at www.ambropalooza.com, with all proceeds going directly into the scholarship fund. Current high school students in Sparta and Dover will be admitted for free.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: AmbroPalooza music fest to honor late coach Ambrosino of Sparta, Dover
