Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
The day was a fantastic success!
The weather was beautiful, the food was amazing, and Felix and the Hurricanes rocked the house... oh, and I was there too. It couldn't have been a better day.
Over 230 people joined us at the Cesare Battisti Club in Altoona to help raise money for our friend, Traci Harding.
Traci, a 45 year old mother with a son in college, has been battling breast cancer since 2004. Recently the cancer has spread and has become critical. All the money raised through donations and raffle ticket sales went directly to Traci's family to help pay for her costly medical treatments.
Felix and the boys opened the show at 3 p.m. and entertained us all with their exciting blend of southern rock and blues favorites. They even threw in a few country songs to get people on their feet. You know, there's a reason these guys have been around for over 10 years now. They're just that good, and they proved it again at this show.
Around 5:00 Master of Ceremonies, Jerome Epple (formely Roger Ribbit from Froggy 98) started drawing raffle tickets to give away hundreds of dollars in prize baskets, all of which had been donated by local businesses.
After the prizes were all distributed, I played requests until around 7:30 when we called it a day.
Traci is one of my closest friends. She's my wife's best friend. She is the one person we have depended on time after time, and she has always been there for us in good times and bad. Over the years we've seen lots of both. This kind of bad, however, is the worst. It's a bad you can't just walk away from, it affects you and the people you love for the rest of your life. It meant so much to me to see such an affectionate outpouring of support for Traci and to have so many of my friends and fans come out to participate. Thank you so much.
Although the show is over, the need is still with us. If you'd like to make a donation, please contact Traci’s mother, Kay Cullen, at 943-4851. Thanks again.
Steve Summerhill