Concert raises money for WAHS music program
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The Allegheny River Monsters got together, entertained thousands, enjoyed practicing their craft, and made a donation toward the future of music in Warren.
Thousands of people attended the Allegheny River Monsters concert on Saturday, July 3, at Pellegrino's.
Dozens of local, and not-so-local, musicians collaborated, taking the stage a few at a time through the evening.
The event started off on the wrong foot. The weather forecast for Friday, July 2, the original date of the concert, was menacing so founder Pat Hackett made the call to move the event to Saturday.
"We had to use the rain day this year. To some extent, that affected the attendance a bit," he said. "It wasn't as big as the 2019 event."
Still, there were "enthusiastic people … lots of love in the air," he said. "We would feel good if 10 people showed up, let alone a couple thousand."
Among those who attended, many bought official 2021 Allegheny River Monsters T-shirts, made by Icyy Ink. The proceeds from those sales created a donation for the Warren Area High School marching band.
"They stepped up and supported the kids," Hackett said. "And they got a cool T-shirt."
"We were able to raise $1,000 for the WAHS music program," Hackett said. "I was pretty stunned when I heard that number."
Hackett met with Director Aaron Reinard.
"When I met Aaron and gave him the check, he was really surprised," Hackett said.
"When Pat Hackett contacted me in June about donating the proceeds of all their shirt sales to us I was floored," Reinard said. "That an alumni would want to give back in this big financial way is huge to us."
"I can't thank Pat and the River Monsters enough," Reinard said. "This is amazingly generous."
The dollars will certainly come in handy.
"The district doesn't fund marching band," he said. "If something breaks I have to figure out how to find the money to fix it."
"When we buy music, flags, any piece of props, whatever… that all comes out of fundraising dollars," Reinard said. "Our band boosters are constantly in a position of trying to find money just to stay afloat."
"It's the reason we haven't had uniforms in 20 years… because there's no way we could ever get that much money," he said. "Our immediate needs are putting a show on the field in a couple weeks. We always have annual costs like sticks, and drum heads. For our show this year we won't be using our old uniforms, but that means we need to purchase some pieces so we can still be 'in uniform' for performances. This money will go a long way in making those things happen."
Hackett is trying to make sure the music tradition in Warren continues at a high level. And, he is showing support locally for his girls, who are in a marching band program in California.
"We'll do it again," Hackett said.
He has already talked with Icyy Ink about shirts for 2022. "They came up big," he said.
And he expects a better turn-out, assuming the weather cooperates.
"Each year it gets better and better as far as production," Hackett said. "It takes a village. That was my theme when I was back home. The people it takes to do this… it's really a community effort for the community."