BRAINTREE — More than 400 people attended the 2019 BeanStock Festival, hosted by the Sun Will Rise Foundation, to raise money to support those with substance abuse disorder. The concert and day of events took place on Saturday, July 20, 2019, at French’s Common in Braintree, MA.

The 4th annual BeanStock Music Festival was a sober music festival (no drugs or alcohol allowed.) The bands that performed included The Amy Incident, The Spins, Lily Black, Houston Bernard Band and Carissa Johnson & the Cure-Alls. One person won $500 Join in the Frisbee toss. Lots of other fun stuff was there too like the Bacon food truck, Mike & Ant’s Ice Cream truck, raffles, bounce obstacle course, graffiti art, community resources and activities with the Braintree Community Art Center.

BeanStock is an annual fundraiser for The Sun Will Rise Foundation. The festival remembers the life of Nick Bean and all those we have lost to substance use disorder, supports those families with loved ones still with active substance use disorder, celebrates those in recovery and promotes prevention. With this festival we hope to raise awareness about the ongoing opioid epidemic and lessen the stigma, while having a super fun sober event.

The Sun Will Rise Foundation was started to provide support to Braintree, Quincy, Weymouth and the surrounding Massachusetts towns for issues regarding substance use disorder. The nonprofit believes that help with education, prevention and awareness by sharing Nick Bean’s story at speaking engagements and with the community. The Foundation offer scholarships both to treatment, sober living and in Nick’s memory toward further education in the EMT field. They also offer family and recovery support if help is needed.

And lastly the Sun Will Rise Foundation offers grief support for loss from overdose or substance use. The grief support is provided through a closed Facebook page and ongoing monthly in person meetings held in Braintree, Weymouth, and Quincy. The nonprofit says that it helps find those who are suffering with the loss of someone they love from substance use disorder or overdose and provide them with the care, compassion, understanding and support that they need.

All photos by Bill Brett