Saturday Night PreachersSaturday night was a movable feast -- for Racine's music lovers and our poor and hungry.
It was Thoughts for Food night, the smaller Fall version of our annual music extravaganza. Some 15 bands were scheduled to play (only one failed to show up) at five different venues and the price of admission was a mere $10 and two non-perishable food items for the Racine County Food Bank. Over its 16-year history, Thoughts for Food has raised some $300,000 and 70,000 pounds of food for the county's food pantries. Unfortunately, overall donations are down 15% this year ... as the number of individuals served -- 59,620 -- is up 4%.
The bands all performed for free, with two of them coming all the way from Madison. And from what we heard, sampling here and there at all five stages, there was something for everyone: folk-rock, hard rock, heavy metal, even jazz from a jam session with constantly rotating musicians in the lower level of Hiawatha's.
It was hard to pick a favorite, although it was clear that JJ McAuliffe did, holding up a handwritten mash note to Sunspot's drummer, Wendy Lynn Staats: "You're beautiful when you're drumming." JJ knows whereof he speaks, as you can see for yourself below. She sounded pretty darn good, too.
Preliminary totals showed some $700 raised after expenses, along with 800 pounds of food, from 330 in attendance. (Updated totals in the comments.) Organizers had hoped for greater turnout, unsure what the holiday weekend might bring. Still, as Dan Taivalkoski, executive director of the Racine County Food Bank said at the end of the evening, "I had hoped for more, but hey, it's more than we had this morning."
Wendy Lynn Staats of Sunspot
Will of Tomorrow
Aaron Andrews during the jam session
Mean Jake
Danno of Hwy 13
Mesnard Location
Dan Taivalkoski of Food Bank canoodling with his fiancé, Chris Dellich
Standing-room-only at McAuliffe's Pub
Excellent!
ReplyDeleteIf our corporations want to do a good deed (and get fine public relations as well as tax deductions), they should help the Food Bank feed our less-fortunate citizens. Surely each major company in town could match the $700.00 earned by Dan and his friends. Then the corporations would be respected for assisting our people instead of being despised because they blow dough on non-essentials like art.
ReplyDeleteHunger is a serious problem here in Racine. Kudos to Dan and his pals for doing something about it!
ReplyDeleteI bet the bars that hosted made a hell of a lot more than $700 - each.
ReplyDeleteI'll second that. One of the reasons I have a problem with both TFFs. I really do think they could kick in a little of THEIR profits.
ReplyDeleteIn defense of the bars, from both events, many of them do contribute a portion of their proceeds, which is why the totals are reported as preliminary.
ReplyDeleteI doubt if the owner of Fountain Hall made more than $700 with only 75 people in attendance while providing 50,000 square feet of heated, staffed space, and paying for sound, they probably lost money.
Kudos for the Racine Post for their coverage of the event!
It is my opinion that these people would be out drinking regardless if it was for a good cause. We have a serious drinking problem in this city and state. I'm unimpressed.
ReplyDeleteDonate $20-$30 bucks CASH directly to the food bank (instead of a 79 cent can of corn) and then I will be impressed.
Thank you.
I am a bit out of the loop.
ReplyDeleteHow does a "mash note" differ from a "note"?
For many of us, the only escape from the horrible reality of Racine is to alter our consciousness. The only way to stay sober in this town is to be rich, or blind and deaf. Same difference.
ReplyDeleteI think she's beautiful even when she isn't drumming!
ReplyDeleteI think the thoughts were great but having a venue were people that are drinking are driving all over racine just creates another problem. Why don't the wonderful owners pony up to a single large event that would be safer for the participants.
ReplyDelete^ Not everyone has to be smashed and without a doubt many folks have enough sense to carpool with a designated driver.
ReplyDeleteAs for the drummer, snakeskin pants mmmhhmm......
Good point on the Fountain Hall too.
Pete outstanding coverage with your pictures not only did you capture Wendy's beauty, drumming action, but you also caught the snakeskin pants. Nice Shot !!
ReplyDeleteIn response to the defense of the bars The picture shows a bar with standing room only maybe the hosts should state up front what percentage of the sales for the night would be donated to chartity or the cause. My hats off to all the bands that donated their time and efforts to this cause but I also feel the bar owners should be up front about there participation and their contribution. I think the heat would have been turned on at the bar location anyway. Why can't they just step forward in the future and say that 15-20% will be donated to the cause. I think they would earn a greater respect in the community.
ReplyDeleteThe bars do pony up for the food bank. For a club to run a band there is the expense of sound systems, engineers, and bands providing equipment(backline). Each venue donated the expenses to pay for just such deed. Some expenses topped over $300. Also The Food Bank hosts a fund raising dinner twice a year that many of the Tavern owners attend with their staff and customers. McAuliffe's and McAuliffe's On The Square has had a total of four tables this year totaling $920. Believe me, many of the Taverns who support Thought For Food do kick in portions of their profits to support TFF.
ReplyDeleteIn response to JJ McAuliffe said... How does paying for sound feed hungry people ? 20% of total sales for the venue might help. Also feeding your staff and others by buying tables is confusing the public about how that is helping hunger in Racine ?
ReplyDeleteThere's no need to criticize anyone over this event. Bars support the Food Bank by raising money and raising awareness about the need for donations.
ReplyDeleteIf you feel compelled to complain, start your own bar and hold a fundraiser. Better yet, make your own donations to the Food Bank. Just about anything would be more productive than posting comments complaining about people who are actually doing something.
How does it help? It's one less expense the food bank has to pick up. You may not think it's much but the expense is over %20 in some cases. How does it feed the hungry? Its one less cost the food bank has to take on. Each venue also had collection box's that brought in much needed goods to the food bank.
ReplyDeleteAs far as how the tables (man you really want to put a negative spin you anonymous coward) help the hungry. When Dan asks us to support the food bank by attending a fundraising dinner we are there to help him. Many Taverns including all of the Joey's, Peg & Lou's, Georges, just to name a few will purchase the tables. How does that help the hungry? Well it puts money into the Food Bank that they need. Sure it might seem a little strange a fundraising dinner for the hungry, but you need to understand that is money that goes to the food bank who in turn use it to purchase food. I'm sorry if you don't approve, but it's just one way we know how to do something to feed the hungry.
Whether you like it or not, the only thing that really matters is that The Racine County Food Bank is helped.
Thanks Dustin, well said.
ReplyDeleteI would just like to give a shout out to all the real hero's of this event. THE BANDS!
ReplyDeleteWithout them this event would not happen. Many of them have done this event yearly some even since it's beginning.
Their hearts are as beautiful as their music.
Mr. Dustin Block you ask for opinions via a blog, but when you don't agree with them you recommend not being critical and starting a bar. Sounds Hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with basing donations on the owners profits is the profits are usually unreported if reported at all. But that's another subject.
ReplyDeleteWell said Dustin. Good job to all.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like the opinions stated on your blog, start a blog in another city. Here's our blog, open to comments from all the people of Racine, except the opinions that we don't like.
ReplyDeleteDear 11:10 A.M., Back in Victorian days the British and American poor drank to escape the misery which the elite inflicted on them. Racine must be caught in a time warp...
ReplyDelete11:06am I like your comment but really all the talking about drinking in this city. If we would just stop drinking we would have so much more food money for the hungry.
ReplyDeleteWas Cory the Clown there??? I can't beleiev we don't have a picture of him.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to all for a fine job of something that actually benefits racine.
I can't get over how an event can have 330 in attendance @ $10 ea. which equals $3,300 and only raises a peliminary $700 dollars. I still feel that this has become more of a party than a help to the Hungry. The fact seems to be that it costs 2/3 of the money raised to donate $700 to the hungry in this community. I hope Dan pays attention to this in the future when he directs the task of Hunger and food bank operations.
ReplyDeleteUPDATED PROCEEDS: Dan Taivalkoski sent us final results today.
ReplyDeleteThe event's total cash income was $3,938.11. Expenses (advertising, posters, tickets, etc.) came to $2,642, leaving net income of $1,295.76.
There also were in-kind donations worth $1,700: $300 from each venue to provide a sound system for the visiting bands, and a $200 discount from WIIL radio.
At weigh-in, the total food donated came to 703 pounds.
Thanks for your open accountability with the "Movable feast", $3938.11 was raised in this event with only 67% of the total going for posters, tickets and advertising. With only 1/3 of the money collected reaching its intended destination we all need to applaud those in kind donations comming from each venue. It sure "sounds" like they made a huge contribution. Dan way to "canoodle".
ReplyDeleteGod you people really suck!
ReplyDeleteI'm really sad to be a racinian right now. People do something good and you a**holes bring them down.
What have you done? Oh I know I'll post another ingenious blog comment and save the world!
I guess it shouldn't bother me because everyone knows bloggers are very lonely people. YES, myself included!
Cory the clown ??? There were a bunch of clowns involved here.
ReplyDeletePeople posting here don't know that fundraising costs money. You need to advertise and get the word out, Simply put, it was an awful weekend to have the fundraiser. I know there are so many who flew out of town on little mini vacations because the competition at Mitchell made flight rates really reasonable. Others were deer hunting. So many were gone.
ReplyDeleteKeep it going, pay it foward, good job and alot of work. That is 700 and some pounds of food that is needed.
It seems like a low rate of return with costs so high. Bar owners, sound engineers, printers, and ticket providers could learn from others an example of paying it forward. Look at all the people that gave of their time for no cost.
ReplyDelete