A concert to benefit tornado recovery efforts in Marshall County is scheduled for this weekend.
The Marshall County Disaster Recovery Celebration – Benefit Concert will be held Saturday at Bob’s Music Shed in Gilbertsville. Proceeds from the event will go to the Marshall Co. Nonprofit Foundation’s Tornado Relief Fund, which will be available to residents of the Moors Camp Highway Loop area, where much of the damage from the storm. People living in the affected area will be able to apply for funds until the end of August.
Ann Burnworth is the co-chair of the event. She said she started planning a few days after the tornado.
“When you see things like what we saw the night of December 10, then the weeks that followed, and even the months until now, you can’t ignore these things and it makes you very sad,” said said Burnworth.
“It makes you want to get out there and use all the skills that God has given you to help these people, these neighbors who need so much help. I have experience in fundraising. I ran a youth-serving nonprofit for many, many years, and I thought, “Wow, I’d be such a fool if I didn’t use those skills now and that experience to help our neighbors . ”
The event will begin around 2 p.m. with music between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. The day’s lineup will feature Justin Mychals, the Benny Wilson Band and Quentin Horton. Mychals and Wilson wrote a song about the events in Marshall County.
There will be a silent auction from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and a live auction starting at 7 p.m. of groups.
“This is the first fundraiser I’ve worked on that has been so easy because people are full of love for their neighbors,” Burnworth said.
Entrance wristbands will cost $10 for attendees 13 and older. There will also be food trucks and vendors at the event.
“I imagine what we’re going through here in the Gilbertsville, Marshall County areas – probably the same as Dawson Springs and everything,” Burnworth said. “We have complete devastation. We had wonderful people who came and gave of their time, from churches to emergency response volunteers, who came to our community and are still here today.
Anyone interested in donating to recovery efforts in Marshall County can send a check payable to MC Recovery Celebration at 119 Buckhorn Bay Park Rd., Gilbertsville, KY 42044. More information is available by calling Burnworth at 812-430-8497.
“We want to help our neighbors have hope and faith and be optimistic that things are going to get better,” Burnworth said. “We want to have a celebration instead of everyone worrying about where they’re going to get their lot of wood – that’s what it’s all about today – celebrate the resumption.”
Lily Burris is a tornado recovery reporter for WKMS, Murray State’s NPR station. His nine-month reporting project is supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
