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Sha Na Na brings good times and good time oldies to Penn's Peak

From the moment Sha Na Na opened the concert at Penn's Peak on Friday night with "At The Hop," the audience was keyed in for a good time. The concert continued with plenty of favorites, which are also on their latest CD "Peppermint Twist," "Let's Dance," and "Sandy."

Since Sha Na Na is celebrating their 40th anniversary, they spoke a little about their start in the music business.In 1969, Sha Na Na played at Woodstock, which became their defining moment whey they appeared second to last on the final day. That gig gave them a record deal and started them on their way.The group has amassed more than 25 albums with worldwide sales of more than $20 million.The show at Penn's Peak also featured a variety of comedy acts and some sounds from the movie "Grease." Scott Simon, one of the band members, announced that he wrote the words for the song, "Sandy." The "Grease" soundtrack was Grammy nominated and certified platinum eight times.While the concert was a lot of fun to listen to, the audience had a hard time staying in their seats for most of the night, especially when they played, ""Whole Lot of Shaking Going On."They switched gears a few times, giving the audience some Doo Wap, and a few slow songs that made you wish for a good slow dance partner.While Sha Na Na's music and performance were vibrant and exciting, the band members shared the spotlight on stage several times with members of the audience. Such as when three local people were asked to take part in the Sha Na Na Olympics, pitting them against each other in a limbo, twist and hula hoop contest and everyone was out of their seats to help perform the "Hokey Pokey."While many of the members sang lead, Jocko Marcellino, one of the original members of Sha Na Na, was in top form. Marcellino said he loves to perform at Penn's Peak, Jim Thorpe.This was the second time Sha Na Na performed at Penn's Peak, and if the audience is lucky, it won't be the last.

Gail Maholick/TIMES NEWS Sha Na Na opened the show at Penn's Peak with "At the Hop" on Friday night. The music and performers were vibrant and exiciting and the audience had a hard time staying in their seats.