WHEN: Wednesday evening, July 10, 2024, 6:30-10:00PM
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WHERE: JX Event Center, Stillwater, MN
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TICKETS: $10 in advance, $15 at the door (Stay tuned on how to get tickets) Facebook event page
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WHAT: A night of music, with some of the biggest names in the Twin Cities music scene coming together to raise money for young adults with cancer or other critical illnesses to experience bucket list wishes. This is going to be a “Pro-Jam,” similar to our All-Stars jams, but with many of the biggest names around. Come see these pros jam with their peers. For all that music has done for us, it’s time to give back.
Musicians include: Brynn Arens, Kris Vox, Brian HBK, Billy Thommes, Haley Dawn, Tim Sigler, Tim Mahoney, Beth Norris Brennan, Jake Jacobs, Chris Westfall, Matt Kirkwold, Tim Kletti, Jeff Rutland, Christian Twigg, Brian on the Bass, John Gensmer, Walter Powell, Kirk Stallings, and more! Marcus Lere will be playing a solo set prior to the jam. Stay tuned to this post for any updates on musicians added. Dave Dahl will be our local celebrity MC for the evening.
This dream has been brewing for a long while now. A few years ago, my band, Bootleg, was playing the State Fair. As we started in on playing Mr. Brightside, by the Killers, this girl, about 20 years old, busts out of her chair and starts jumping around and dancing in front of the stage, singing along to every word. Having the time of her life. I didn’t think much of it at the time, because that’s what they all should be doing, right? 😉
Anyway, what struck me was how so many people around the table in which she was sitting were now taking video of her, with tears welling up in their eyes. I later came to know this family. This young girl, Kaydee, had been diagnosed with a form of bone cancer known as Ewings sarcoma a few years prior to that day. Her family was now living in Colorado. She had been in remission for some time, but recently had found out that it was back and spreading. Her mortality was then seriously put into question. If I had to carry the weight of all that, I would have shut down emotionally, as well as physically. But not Kaydee. She started a bucket list of things she wanted to do before she left, if that were to be. One was to return to Minnesota, where she grew up, to attend the State Fair. This is how she came to show me how to live. She taught me that bad things can happen, but they don’t have to define me. I can choose how to face them.
In the months that followed, her aunts and uncles would attend our shows and Facetime with Kaydee in Colorado when we played the song. I don’t know if I was able to lift her spirits as much as she did mine, but I hope so. As those months went on, Kaydee established a non-profit organization, Project Sol Flower, to bring bucket list wishes to other young adults her age who are battling life-threatening illnesses. 100% of the profits raised by this event will be donated to Project Sol Flower.
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Thank you. Together, we can make dreams come true.
John
