Are you ready to rock?

Then grab 5 bucks, your student ID and make plans to attend this Saturday's first Rock by the Dock event featuring seven local bands.

The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park.

Hosted by the Bay Area Community Foundation's Youth Advisory Committee, this event will highlight the musical talents of The End of an Era, The Strolling Tones, Death by Lipstick, The Perfect Ending, Turning Thrill, Jency Schnettler, and The Loving Lads as well as Bay City's own Katherine Schell.

Schell is a young Chicago recording artist who just released her CD ''Emptier Streets'' this spring. She was named International Songwriter of the Year by Vh1's Save the Music for her song ''Rest Assured'' in 2005.

Renee Courier, program associate with Bay Area Community Foundation and youth advisor for the Youth Advisory Committee, brought up the idea for the event last fall.

The Youth Advisory Committee is made up of area seventh- through 12th-grade students who engage in philanthropy with the goal of enhancing the lives of Bay-area youths.

The estimated committee grants awards to local nonprofit organizations for projects that directly benefit Bay County's young residents.

''They're a great group of kids,'' Courier said. ''They truly care about their community and want to be a positive influence on other kids who need it.''

Past projects include giving money to the Infinity Skate Park and to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which provides free books to children. The committee also recently gave money and time to set up a room for a family at Good Samaritan Rescue Mission.

Copyright © 2006. The Bay City Times.