08 May Fundraiser Party Report
What an amazing day we had four our fundraiser on Saturday, April 27th at the Seanachai Pub on Johns Island!
The weekend started with our finally getting to meet our Chicago-based teammates, Eric Krause and Chris Garbacz, who are just as fun as we’d hoped! Other USA teammates Tommy Schultz and Will Houtz also came for the event, so we had a grand time getting geared up for the fundraiser, plus we all rode the bus down to the pub together. This sure gave us a good idea of what the next 10,000 miles might be like, after you throw in the Brits, the Italians, and our lone New Zealander!
We even got to have a little Skype session with one of our fellow teammates in the UK, Jan Monaghan! It was good to have all these folks under one roof as we make our plans for this incredible trip! And it was good to have free labor to wash the bus and get the inside clean enough for tours!
The weather was sparkling pretty, so we set up outside in the back at Seanachai with our handprint station next to the bus. With Heather and Greg Spain’s expert help, we arranged all the wonderful raffle prizes inside the grand prize, Cale Cauley’s beautiful wooden skiff.
Soon enough, our entertainment arrived and our first band, the Day Jobs, kicked off the music. We are so grateful for the long hours Bobby, Rob, George, and Ralph spent practicing leading up to the big day! It paid off for sure–they were fantastic! Next up were our friends with Herin and the Non-Game Birds. These great folks set up our pre-party interview on Lowcountry Live Thursday morning. What fun! Wow–they just knocked me out! I loved every single song, and my only disappointment was that I kept having to answer Dixie Chicken Bus questions when all I really wanted to do was hear them play their set!
Next up was a treasured friend all the way back from my youth, Fleming Moore and the Harmonators. Fleming is such a gifted musician, but he brought Jessica along, and she “upped” his game more than we thought possible! Together they were dynamite! Their powerful fiddle playing and vocals were pure magic for our crowd of party goers. By the end of their set, we had a huge crowd ready for the raffle drawing, which was handled with panache and grace by our emcee and talented musical friend, John Krucke. Folks were excited about the big list of prizes, but none were as happy as William, the little boy who won the grand prize boat!
Our final musical talent for the evening have special meaning for Don and I, as these fine folks and fabulous musicians also played for us on our wedding night, nearly 20 years ago. John Krucke, Michael Murray, and Bruce Patrick gave so generously of their time and talent to play some old Krushtones favorites for us, and their support means all the world to us as we embark on this madcap journey.
All told, we added dozens of new handprints and names to the bus, talked to lots of folks about the journey ahead, and collected nearly $1600 for the charities we are supporting, Lotus Children’s Centre and Cool Earth. It was a beautiful day and we are so incredibly grateful to all our friends who came out to see the bus and be part of Team Dixie Chickens!
