On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Levittown Community Council and the Levittown Kiwanis club will present the Winter Festival. The event will be held at the Levittown Memorial Education Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bob Koenig, who lives in Levittown with his wife Jessica and their son Jonny, will be performing songs he has written about Levittown. Those songs will also be part of a CD that Koenig will be releasing next year to coincide with the town's 60th anniversary.

"There aren't any songs about Levittown and I wanted to create some," said Koenig. "Billy Joel originally wrote a song about Levittown but it was changed to Allentown."

If there is one person who could combine Levittown history with music, it is Bob Koenig. He is passionately involved with both. Koenig has been recording and performing music for many years as both a band member and a solo artist. His former band, The Keys, appeared on the nationally televised Dance Party USA. While that band performed pop music, Koenig has been transforming himself into a folk musician. His most recent CD, Prose and Icons, features a mix of country and pop music. His next CD, which will feature his songs about Levittown, is in the folk music genre.

"I've always had an interest in country music," said Koenig. "The medium of music has changed and folk music is a little bit more down to earth."

Another great interest of Koenig's is the history of Levittown. He is a member of the Levittown Historical Society, helps in the running of the Levittown Museum and teaches Levittown's second-graders about the history of their town. Koenig's knowledge of Levittown spans every detail of the town's origins and he is eager to share it with the community. He has even visited the other Levittown communities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ironically, he first came to Levittown because of music, as he was the manager of the Record World located in the T.S.S. of Levittown.

Koenig also draws a connection between music and Beatles. He said that, "The Beatles were able to catch lightning in a bottle" as they came along with the right music at the right time. Koenig said the same thing happened with Levittown.

"The history of Levittown is amazing," said Koenig. "I find Levittown so interesting because of its origins. Here was land that was used for farming. The crops were destroyed by worms, and the land became unusable for farming. Along came William Levitt, who was looking to build affordable housing for veterans. The land was sold, suburbia was born, and Long Island was forever changed. Everything just fell into place. It could not have happened at any other time and certainly could not happen today."

In addition to the Winter Festival, Koenig will be performing at the Mineola Public Library in June. He recently performed on WHPC's Positively Dylan radio program. If interested in purchasing his last CD, Prose and Icons, log on to www.cdbaby.com.