Benefit concert for For Mac organized

A concert is being organized to raise money for victims of the Fort McMurray and area wildfires.

It will take place June 4, 7 p.m. at the Olds Legion.

“We're charging a fee of $10 a head and planning a silent auction. Whatever money we get from that we would donate to the Fort McMurray disaster fund,” says Penny Marks, one of the organizers and one of the people slated to perform that night.

She says musicians from Olds, Bowden, Sundre, Carstairs, Torrington and Red Deer are participating.

“There are probably about 10, 12 musicians who will actively be doing something music-wise,” Marks says. “We're donating a portion of the CD sales to the benefit concert.”

The concert is expected to feature country, old time, bluegrass and possibly gospel music.

“It's the music around here that people relate to. I've sang at lots of jams here and at the legion on Thursday nights with the gang that goes there and it's pretty much country/bluegrass kind of music that everybody likes,” Marks says.

Marks is amazed at the buy-in from local musicians.

“I'm sort of new to this. I've done some entertaining in the past but I've never organized a very large fundraiser like this,” she says.

“I just sent all my musician friends a text one morning and I said, ‘hey, are you guys up for doing a benefit concert for the Fort Mac people?' And everybody instantly texted back and said, ‘yeah, I'm in, I'm in, I'm in.' So we just kind of went from there.

“These people are involved and they're volunteering their services and it's for a good cause and everybody's kind of gung-ho.

“We want to help the people up there as much as we can, which the whole country is amazingly doing. So we just thought we'd do our part that way,” she adds.

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