ONEIDA — The third annual Catstock is slated for Saturday, May 20 at noon, with the goal of raising money to help the area’s cat organizations.

John Chesebro, an Oneida local, is one of the organizers of the event and is happy to see this event growing every year.

“It all started in 2021 with my son Logan Chesebro, who’s co-founder of One Man. The Band. He wanted to give back and help Finnland’s Fosters, a local cat shelter,” Chesebro said. “So we had the inaugural Catsock at Nothin’ Fancy in Vernon with three bands, baskets and raffles, and raised a good amount of money. And that gave us the incentive to do it again.”

Catstock 2 had five bands playing, and while they wanted to have food vendors, time restraints meant they had to supply their own food. “We sold hot dogs and pizza, and we did good. We even raised more than last year,” he said. “We even had seven to eight artisans. And this year, we’re at the Kallet Civic Center.”

Chesebro said Catstock is working with her cousin, Lori Seef, owner of Bella Vita, to organize an event that’s even bigger than last year.

“We want people to come out, enjoy the event, and support the cats,” Seef said.

Six bands are slated to play and include Before August, Shane Archer Reed, The D-Dubb Experience, Not Robots and One Man. The Band, and The 169 Rhythm Experience.

“We’ve got around 10 artisans at this point, five local food vendors, including Bella Vita, The Blend, D-Ray’s Pizzeria, Rossi Catering out of Canastota, and Tube Steaks out of Morrisville,” Chesebro said.

With Finnland’s Fosters no longer operational, all money raised from Catstock 3 will go to the Oneida Cat Committee and Operation Wild Cat.

“This money will go towards trying to control the stray and feral cat population in the area,” Chesebro said. “There’s a lot more than I knew existed, and it’s a serious problem.”

The trap-neuter-release program used by these organizations is the most humane way to deal with the population by stopping its growth.

“And some of them might not be feral cats,” Chesebro said. “Some might have been left behind after someone moved. Or they became pregnant and their owner put them outside. And it adds to the problem, making it spiral out of control. But these organizations have done so much.”

On top of that, Chesebro wanted to thank many of the local business who have donations for the raffle. “I’ve gotten donations from Thompson Appliances, Direct Factory Furniture, Lowe’s, Walmart, Tractor Supply, D-Ray’s Pizzeria, and so many more and more coming in.”

All in all, Chesebro said he knows that they aren’t going to raise a fortune — but they’re raising everything they can to help a good cause.

“We might not be able to raise $1 million, but we’re gonna help,” Chesebro said. “And we want to continue to help.”

Admission to Catstock 3 is free and open to the public, but donations in the form of money, cat food, cat litter, or similar items are welcome.