Ringoes resident to open for Heffron Drive at State Fair Meadowlands

Kristina Lachaga 

Heffron Drive 

On Saturday, June 28, rising New Jersey pop sensation, Kristina Lachaga, will open for electro-pop band, Heffron Drive, featuring teenage heartthrob, Kendall Schmidt, at State Fair Meadowlands. The fair, which runs from June 20 through July 6, is located in the State Fair Meadowlands fairgrounds next to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

The concert, located at the American Stage inside the fairgrounds, is free with fair admission ticket. On Saturday, June 28, admission tickets to the fair are $10 for those 13 and older and $8 for those 12 and younger. Children under 34” tall are admitted free.

Lachaga, 19, who writes her own songs and music, will perform some of her original hits including “Won’t Wait Forever” in the coveted opening-spot for the band. However, this will not be the first time Lachaga and Schmidt have worked together.

In 2010, Lachaga was cast to appear in “Famous,” the first music video for Big Time Rush, the pop band and hit TV-show that catapulted Schmidt to fame. Since then, Lachaga and Schmidt, who also happen to share a Nov. 2 birthday, have been living parallel lives, both seeing a change in direction for their careers rising up through the pop music scene.

Lachaga, just 15-years-old at the time she filmed the music video, played the Heffron Drive and Big Time Rush fan both on and off set. “I’ve been a fan of Heffron Drive’s music, Kendall Schmidt’s first band, ever since they started. When Kendall joined Big Time Rush, I loved their music and watching the TV show, especially because I had met them on the set. Plus, I went to their concert in Saratoga, N.Y. and it was amazing!” said Kristina. Yet little did those around her on set know the success she would see in her own budding music career.

Performing on stage since she was just 3-years-old, Lachaga has a long standing musical resume, boasting many musical theatre performances, most notably a 9-month national tour of the Broadway Musical “Gypsy” in 2007-2008, performing across 48 states in the role of Baby Louise.

Since appearing in Big Time Rush’s music video, Lachaga, known to her fans as “The Girl With The Big Pink Heart,” has created a new musical focus for herself as she pursues her career in the music industry.

“I always tell my fans to ‘follow your heart’s dream,’ you never know where it may lead you,” said Lachaga. “Opening for Kendall Schmidt is definitely a dream come true, and I hope that by sharing this experience with my fans, they will see that with dedication and hard work anything is possible.”

Her original songs “No Doubt,” “Won’t Wait Forever,” and “Calendar” are now on iTunes and are currently being played on iHeart Radio and Stars of Tomorrow Radio in Australia. She was named one of Fanlala’s “favorite artists on the rise,” and her song Calendar was voted no. 1 in Stars of Tomorrow March Top 5 by her fans. Her first music video will be released during Summer 2014.

Most recently, Lachaga has joined the Teen Nation Tour to promote anti-bullying across the country, spreading the word against bullying. Lachaga shares the same message with thousands of school children that she shares with her fans, whom she calls “#Heartbreakers” – to follow your heart’s dream and do what you love – and that is exactly what she will be doing herself when she opens for Heffron Drive.

State Fair Meadowlands is the largest fair in the New York metro area, with more than 150 rides and attractions on over 35 acres of fairgrounds. The fair features over 50 food vendors and 72 rides, 16 of which are new this year.

Entertainment is free with entry ticket (unlimited ride hand stamps are available for an extra fee). With entry ticket, fairgoers can enjoy all-day access to live music concerts, the racing pigs, the big cat show, hypnotist Steve Bayner, the Sharbait comedic jugglers, and, for the first time this year, an Open-Air Circus featuring a live human arrow, high-wire acts and animal shows.

Also new this year, for all 17 days of the fair, will be a special “Movie Cars” attraction, which will feature original cars and replicas from TV and film, including Batman, Back to the Future, Scooby Doo and more. Fairgoers won’t want to miss the all-new Acrobatic Motorcross Show, a feast for those who love to watch daredevils undertake outrageous stunts. Each Saturday of the fair will be a new car show – Vintage Autos; Muscle Car Madness; and Open Independence Day for all cars and trucks. Returning on June 21 will be Cousin Brucie’s Palisades Park Reunion II featuring iconic stars from the 1960s, including Chubby Checker and Neil Sedaka.

Fair hours are Monday through Thursday, 6 p.m. to midnight; Fridays, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. to midnight. On opening Dollar Night, June 20, the fair is open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. On Thursday, July 3, the fair is open 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.; on Friday, July 4 from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. Parking is free Monday through Wednesday, and $5 Thursdays through Sundays. Opening night, parking is just $2. The fair will be offering free shuttle buses from/to Secaucus Junction.

Visit njfair.com for information about bargain days, transportation, entertainment and more.

State Fair Meadowlands, next to Met Life Stadium, is on Stadium Road, East Rutherford. The GPS Address is 102 NJ State Highway 120, East Rutherford.

Find out more about Kristina Lachaga, at kristinalachaga.com and on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @kristinalachaga.

Find State Fair on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SFMeadowlands and on Twitter @SFMeadowlands.

Find Heffron Drive on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/heffrondrivemusic and on Twitter @HeffronDrive.