Park Performing Arts Center to Award Three Showtime Awards

The Park Performing Arts Center will present three Showtime Awards at its annual gala on Thursday May 27, 2010 at 6 pm at the Park Theater in Union City.

“It is an elegant evening planned with live music, a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception, followed by a brief awards presentation,” said Gala Co-chair Diana Punales Morejon. “The Showtime Gala brings together local artists and community members for a relaxed, fun and memorable evening.” For tickets or information call 201-865-6980 or visit www.parkpac.org.

Union City Mayor and State Senator Brian P. Stack will receive a Showtime Award for “Best Performance in a Leading Role.”

Mayor Brian P. Stack has served Union City as Mayor since 2000 and has a long history of championing local causes, including the arts. Before serving in elective office, Brian was a community activist, tenant advocate and Hudson County Freeholder, fighting numerous battles on behalf of local residents. Stack was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2003 and served in that capacity until 2008, when he was sworn in as a member of the New Jersey Senate, where he currently sits on both the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee.

Union City resident Julio Fernandez, the highly-skilled guitarist for the Grammy-nominated jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra, will be presented with a Showtime award for “Outstanding Performance in a Musical Role.”

Fernandez, who was born in Havana and started playing guitar at the age of nine, says his father was his first and most influential teacher. Fernandez came to the United States in 1961 and eventually gravitated to the music scene in New York City which led to his joining Spyro Gyra in 1984. With over 25 albums released and 10 million copies sold and multiple Grammy nominations, Spyro Gyra is one of the most prolific and commercially successful bands on the scene today.

The Showtime award for “Best Performance in a Supporting Role” goes to a charter member of the PPAC Board of Trustees, Steven P. Gallo.

Steve is a CPA, Personal Financial Specialist and a partner in U.S Financial Services, LLC. His leadership and support have contributed significantly to the growth of the PPAC over the past years. He has spent over 30 years advising closely held business owners and high net worth individuals in the areas of Estate Planning, Taxation, Business Management and Life Planning. A contributing expert for The Star Ledger he has also been a guest on CNBC.