If music indeed has the power to heal, then perhaps some victims of last month’s devastating floods in southern West Virginia will be a few steps closer to recovery after the West Virginia UniversityMountaineer Marching Band shares its brand of musical medicine during a benefit concert at the 2016 State Fair of West Virginia.
The Aug. 20 concert will be free to all fairgoers with paid gate admission, but donations will be accepted and will go directly to schools that lost instruments and equipment during the June 23 flood that slammed communities across central and southern West Virginia.
“We have always felt that the WVU Marching Band belongs to the state of West Virginia, and right now families in our state are hurting,” said Assistant Director of Bands Jay Drury. “In this time of need, after the devastation that so many folks have encountered from these floods, we are honored to be able to bring the band to the State Fair to help lift spirits, bring a little hope, and to help raise some money and awareness for those who are still in need.”
The concert will be held Saturday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. in the Bluegrass Bowl on the State Fairgrounds. “West Virginia has come together since the tragic flooding and this is not only an opportunity for the giving to continue, but a chance to celebrate this great state,” said State Fair CEO Kelly Collins.
The 2016 State Fair of West Virginia will be held August 12-21 on the State Fairgrounds in Fairlea, near Lewisburg.
The benefit concert is one of many ways members of the WVU community continue to reach out to the flood victims. There have been multiple trips to help in recovery work, and more are planned. In addition, donations of money and goods and services continue to be collected.
