Benefit concert set for July 9, 2016

ALBANY — The first Vet Fest concert and fundraiser is set for July 9 at the Albany VFW, located at 315 Philema Road. The benefit event was the brainchild of post commander Craig Jones.

“Initially, I just wanted to do something small,” said Jones. “However, as we got to talking, it got bigger and bigger. Now we have 10 bands that are going to play. Before you knew it, I had other people approaching me about being a part of the event to benefit the veterans.”

The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local support groups that sought to secure rights and monetary/medical benefits for vets. Many soldiers returned home wounded or sick after serving in foreign conflicts and with no medical care or pension, they simply had to fend for themselves. In an attempt to mitigate the misery and suffering of these returning veterans the VFW was formed.

The first chapters of the VFW originated in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania. The movement quickly gained momentum and by 1915, membership had grown to 5,000. By 1936 it was almost 200,000.

Today, the VFW has nearly 1.7 million members, and it provides more than $3 million per year in college scholarships and savings bonds. Its auxiliaries contribute more than 8.6 million hours every year in volunteerism in local communities across the nation.

“Craig reached out to me about helping put on a concert at the VFW, and I thought it was a great idea to do something for the local veterans,” said Brian Shattles, a local musician and music promoter. “They don’t get the attention that they deserve. So, we got together and Vet Fest was born.”

The all-day concert will feature 10 bands from the region, including Steel River Band (noon-1 p.m.), Hatcher Station (1:15-2:15 p.m.), Roarschach (2:30-3:30 p.m.), David Leggett & Friends (3:45-4:45 p.m.), Danny Dawson Band (5-6 p.m.), Easy Money (6:15-7:15 p.m.), LaBete (7:30-8:30 p.m.), Downtown Disturbance (8:45-9:45 p.m.), David Miller Band (10-11 p.m.) and Bridges Crossroad (11:15 p.m.-1 a.m.). On site will also be outside vendors, the Corvette Club, the Artesian Car Club, a pool tournament, and for the kids, bouncy houses and an 18-foot volcano water-slide.

“There is definitely a lack of good venues for musicians in Albany,” said Shattles. “The VFW has a great place, and raising money for veterans is a great cause. We have had so many people volunteer to help. I think we now have 14 local businesses that have sponsored the event and a stage and sound crew that have volunteered. It’s going to be awesome.”

“Originally we were going to charge $10 for admission,” said Jones, “but then we decided it would be better and might attract more people if we just did free admission and asked for donations. We will be cooking hot dogs and hamburgers, which, of course, will cost, and it will still cost $10 to get in the pool tournament. We are just going to have donation buckets out and ask people to give what they can or want to. All proceeds go to benefit the VFW and our mission to help local veterans.”

For more information, contact Jones at (229) 483-1194 or Shattles at (229) 603-3335.