September 21, 2008

A great night2 of music for a great cause

The night's music started with a wrist band...

After sixteen years, Thoughts for Food, Racine's great night of music to benefit the Racine County Food Bank, simply outgrew a single night. So Saturday night was Part II of this year's event...a continuation of the musical pub crawl that began in March if you're a stickler for that sort of detail. Organizers called it the 1st Annual Thoughts for Food Fall Harvest Benefit; I preferred Thoughts for Food2. Fits into a headline better.

Suffice it to say that 13 venues hosted 42 bands and performers last night -- all for the benefit of the food bank, which distributes an average of 70,000 pounds of food every month. Those who made it from bar to bar to hear the various musicians were treated to a variety of music -- and the knowledge that they were doing good at the same time.

Early Sunday morning, Dan Tailvalkoski, director of the food bank, reported the results: Attendance was about 1,000, including band members, their guests and volunteers. Paying customers donated 1,500 pounds of food, and cash receipts were $5,300. Not as much as the March event usually brings in -- but it's a start. In its 16-year history, Thoughts for Food has produced $284,000 and some 67,000 pounds of food for distribution.

Here's a small sampling of what attendees saw.

Rasor's Edge was rocking at the Pub on Wisconsin...

Rasor's lead singer without his hat

Night Wing's delightful sister act at Evelyn's

Fell Boyzs competed with LSU football at Ivanhoe's

Titus, Rench and Wheary at Casablanca

Acoustic Horizon at the Blue Rock

Jim Bednarek and Friend at Timothy York's Bistro

Saturday Night Preachers at McAuliffe's Pub

Unlikely Hero at Joey's on Sixth...

...brought its own fan club

From the outside looking in at OCD at Schillings Pub

Dancing to Mean Jake at Eveyln's

Mark Paffrath and his new guitar at Casablanca

Carl Allen loads food donations for the Food Bank

Dan Taivalkoski, director of the Food Bank, rounding up the cash

2 comments:

  1. How was attendance?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have never seen the downtown bars more packed!

    ReplyDelete