101.5 WPDH has been on the air for 35 years now, and through those years WPDH has contributed many hours to various local charities. This year marks the 28th anniversary of the most famous WPDH Hudson Valley Fundraiser, ROOF-A-THON.

Roof-A-Thon started 27 years ago at the 7-11 location in Poughkeepsie. Years following, the event was moved to the 7-11 on Route 9 in Wappingers Falls. Many years were spent on the "Roof" and many h...ours dedicated by WPDH staff, and volunteers from all over the Hudson Valley to benefit the very worthy MDA. During the many years on the "Roof", the event has seen the likes of various WPDH morning shows from Wakin Up With The Wolf, Coop & Tobin, Coop & Mikey, and others. Through the years at 7-11, the event has become very well known.

One of the most notable parts of Roof-a-thon were the WPDH Road Warriors! The Road Warriors are teams of Volunteers who lined up on all sides of Route 9 and collected donations or "Voluntary Tolls" from all of Route 9 passer-bys. Another feature of Roof-A-Thon which has grown since day 1 is the Roof-A-Thon band stage. As the years passed by, being able to play on "The Stage" became a golden opportunity for bands in the Hudson Valley to play. Year after year, more and more bands threw their name in the running to be selected to play the stage. As years passed, the band stage popularity grew more and more, and attracted more and more people.

Finally, Friday night during the Roof-A-Thon weekend had been deemed Biker Night. Every year, the biker community would join forces and come out for biker games, fundraise for the charities, and just have a good time.

Over time, Roof-A-Thon completely grew out of its current location at 7-11 in Wappingers Falls. A decision was made to move Roof-A-Thon from its current location at 7-11 to Foam and Wash Car wash, where there was ample room to broadcast, and have a band stage located over at the Poughkeepsie Galleria. The next two years were very successful events, generating lots of donations for all of the charities. Every year a large concert was added to the Roof-A-Thon line up with the likes of Peter Frampton & Kenny Loggins.

In late 2006, a problem was encountered putting on the event. New York State Law's now prohibited the WPDH Road Warriors from collection donations on Route 9. With the road being one of Roof-a-Thon's major income sources, this put a serious barrier between putting on an event and generating income for the charities.

The decision was made in 2007 to try a different avenue for collecting money. With the changing economy, it was decided to bring ROOF-A-THON to different towns in the Hudson Valley. We had setup locations in Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and various locations throughout the Hudson Valley.

In 2008, Roof A Thon had its 25th Anniversary and to celebrate we had a weekend long festival at Dutchess Stadium which featured a Car, Truck, and Bike Show, a Family Fun Festival and a concert featuring Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.

In 2009, Roof A thon needed a new permanent venue. After searching for months, we finally found our new home in the Village of Wappingers Falls at Mesier Park. A decision was made to join the Roof A Thon event with the Village of Wappingers Falls Picnic In The Park! By joining these two events, we were able to branch out and add more activities to Roof such as a Parade, Vendors, and a kids fun area! Many people ask “Why do you still call if Roof-A-Thon when you are not actually on a Roof?”, well the answer is simple, the event just wouldn’t be the same! Our WPDH Promotions department spend days setting up the event, and actually building a stage which looks just like a Roof. So many memories and history has been with the “Roof A Thon” name that we could not give it up, and not to mention it has become so recognizable in our community that changing the name would only hurt the event.

This year the WPDH Craig Thomas Pest Control Roof-A-Thon will be the weekend of September 23, 24 and 25. Friday night will be biker night with awards for “Best In Show” and “Peoples Choice”. Saturday will be an all day flea market in Mesier Park along with bands performing in the gazebo. Sunday will be the Village of Wappingers “Picnic In the Park” with bands performing the gazebo.