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CAP CANCER STARTS IN HIGHGATE
The
first Cap Cancer Blues Festival took place place Sunday, July 19, 2009, in Highgate
Municipal Park. Click here to see
how we did.
The community event will use hair cuts and
music to
raise funds for Camp Ta-Kum-Ta and for cancer research. The festival will have
free afternoon concerts and will be "capped" by a Summer
Sounds evening concert with the Nobby Reed Project.
"Every single person in this county knows someone with cancer or knows someone who knows someone with cancer," festival organizer Dick
Harper said. "Some of them are kids. Many of them have died."
The Cap Cancer Blues Festival wants to raise at least 60 pledges and is open to everyone who wants to participate. All proceeds will go to Camp Ta-Kum-Ta and for cancer research.
Camp Ta-Kum-Ta provides a safe, loving place for children from Vermont and New York who have, or have had cancer to play, swim, share, and heal. Kids go there to reclaim a childhood robbed by cancer. The camp has moved to a new home on a South Hero hill overlooking Lake Champlain. The new Camp T-K-T hopes to expand its program into a Winter Adventure Camp, Family and Sibling Camps, Bereavement Camp, Youth Leadership Development programs, and more.
"We'll have packaging for Locks of Love," Harper said. Anyone with hair longer than 10 inches can donate those tresses to the organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair through cancer treatment or a medical condition called alopecia areata. Six to 10 donated ponytails go into one hairpiece. Locks of Love also takes even shorter hair to help offset manufacturing costs for the wigs. "Every one helping to cap cancer by cutting or shaving will get a ball cap."
Every gift will help in the battle against cancer--in our own community, across the state, and across the nation.
The free concerts will begin at 4 p.m. with some special guests and a new group called Rockfish. Nobby Reed will anchor the Festival in a Summer Sounds concert at 7 p.m.
The Nobby Reed Project, Vermont's premiere blues trio, plays the best original music in the soul-shakin'-electric Texas and Chicago blues styles with a Vermont touch. The band includes Eric Belrose, percussion, Ray Bushey, bass, and Mr. Reed on lead guitar and vocals. The group has shared the stage with Blues Traveler, Delbert McClinton, Buckwheat Zydeco, Mighty Sam MacLain, John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, Roomful of Blues, The Neville Brothers, and Eddie Money. The Project gets regular radio air play in Boston, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, and Eastern Europe. His music is also aired on VH1, the History Channel, the Food Network and MTV. The History Channel used 6 NRP songs for Guts and Bolts, a show on guitar manufacturing.
"What better way to give away 60 years of
hair
than
with the best blues in Vermont," Harper said.
Rockfish also plays some blues, as well as indie rock and laid-back reggae. They were featured in Richmond's Celtic New Year celebration and the "Buddy Dubay and the Minor Key" youth rock show. The young 4-piece group includes Sam Cutler, vocals, guitar, bass; Emma Hadden, vocals, bass, auxiliary percussion; Eric Marshall, guitar, bass and winner of the Sam Cohn musical spirit award; and Jeff Meyer-Lorentson, drums, bass. Their first EP, "Frozen Flowers," is expected this fall.
The Cap Cancer Blues Festival is an all volunteer
community effort with support from the All Arts Council, JC Image, KOOL 105,
Peoples Trust Company, the St. Albans Messenger, and the Town of Highgate. The
bands have donated their performances. Click here to visit our sponsors. All
proceeds
will
be
shared
by
Camp
Ta-Kum-Ta
and the American Cancer Society for cancer research.
July 19, 2009