July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

A special night that wasn't to be missed (01/23/06)

Editorial

Something special happened Saturday night.

And if you weren’t part of it, you’ll wish you had been.

On Saturday, local singer/songwriter Ken Bantz took to the stage at Arts Place for a concert in Hall/Moser Theatre.

But this wasn’t just any concert.

It was the result of a remarkable confluence of local talent, local non-profit organizations, local leadership, and local generosity.

The concert, you see, was a benefit performance. Bantz, who has a day job, had been urged to perform by Eric Rogers of Arts Place but finally consented to do so only when it was proposed to use proceeds from the concert to help fill the coffers of the supplemental energy assistance program of Community and Family Services.

That program, CFS executive director Larry Braden explains, helps low-income families meet ever-rising energy costs this winter. And the funds raised by the Bantz benefit concert will go toward helping those families make utility deposits and pay re-connect fees if their heat has been shut off.

In and of itself, the concert would qualify as a feel-good story. But it gets better.

Jay County REMC stepped up to provide promotional and advertising support to get the public out and arranged for a silent auction to raise even more funds for the program.

Finally, audience members at the concert were urged to bring food donations to help keep the shelves stocked at the Helping Hand Food Bank.

It wasn’t just a win-win situation. It was more like a win-win-win-win situation, and it was an excellent performance to boot.

If there was a single downside, it’s that there were too many empty seats.

Bantz, Arts Place, Jay County REMC (particularly Cindy Denney), and the audience had teamed up to make something good happen. But inertia, crowded schedules, and plain old apathy can be tough to overcome.

If you weren’t there Saturday night, you did indeed miss something special. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
PORTLAND WEATHER

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