Ryan Wapner was a junior at Altoona Area High School in 2005 when he and his mother formed a nonprofit, independent promotion company known as An Emergency Scene.

From that point on, An Emergency Scene went on to host 302 shows with local and national bands, inviting kids of all ages to enjoy live music in the area until putting on their last show in 2018.

Now 20 years later, An Emergency Scene is now partnering with another production company, Brass Factory, to put on a reunion show set for 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29. The show will feature Punchline, Eternal Boy, Like a Movie, The Hope Fallacy and Walkney and be held at the Liberty Hall in the U.S. Hotel Tavern.

“I think people are hungry for it again,” Wapner said. “It’s only as big and active as people make it.”

Taking off

Wapner, now 37, booked his first show with Punchline on April 14, 2005, at Homer’s Gap Civic Center.

“Punchline was the first band that got me into the music scene,” he said.

Although An Emergency Scene didn’t start out as a nonprofit, he said it “morphed” into one over the years, hosting performances at various venues in the region.

They booked musical events in various genres from alternative rock to pop rock.

Everything was “bootstraps and self-funded,” he said, stating that the production company administration only involved himself and his mother.

Labeling himself as an “oddball” in high school, he said he would post show fliers on MySpace, alerting everyone about an upcoming show.

Anywhere from 50 to 200 kids showed up every weekend, Colleen Cassarly said.

Cassarly found out about An Emergency Scene through a friend in junior high. As an Altoona Area student, she knew of Wapner, but he was a few years her senior.

Starting out in a band, she quickly became interested in sound engineering, so before shows, she would help set up speakers, microphones and cabling with the help of Wapner or his mother.

“I was really a helping hand,” she said.

Wapner was invited to go on tour with various bands after graduating from high school, so he used what he made financially to support An Emergency Scene shows back home.

As the years went by, he said it “became a point where I could not do that anymore.”

Involved individuals then went their separate ways as they graduated from high school, college and moved away, Cassarly said.

Making a comeback

Taking a hiatus from An Emergency Scene, Wapner remained in Altoona while managing merchandise for podcasts and YouTube channels.

Meanwhile, Cassarly and her partner, Tyler Wirtz, eventually settled in State College and formed their own production company, Brass Factory.

A couple of years ago, Cassarly said they reached out to Wapner again with a reunion in mind.

“We’re not teenagers trying to run a nonprofit,” she said. “We want to bring it back to the area.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we gather as a community, she said, which is why they wanted to come back now.

Cassarly’s mom, Linda, said An Emergency Scene events created a “safe space” for kids to go without an emphasis on alcohol and drugs.

“I think they did a great job at bringing (kids) together and giving them a positive thing to spend time on,” she said.

With that in mind, An Emergency Scene and Brass Factory are not advertising alcohol use, keeping the event all ages.

“It’s who we are at our core,” she said.

Online ticket purchases have been shut down, she added, but there will be a limited supply of tickets sold at the door.

“None of us anticipated it being this way whatsoever,” she said. “It’s been awesome. The reaction has been great.”

From what Wapner has seen, “it seems like folks are interested again,” he said.

“It’s not a singular thing where one person kind of makes or breaks the popularity of a thing,” he said. “You have a swarm of people buffing about a thing, and that radiates throughout a community.”

If you go

What: An Emergency Scene and Brass Factory present musical guests

When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29

Where: Liberty Hall at the U.S. Hotel Tavern, 401 S. Juniata St., Hollidaysburg

Tickets: $20; available at the door