After raising more than $15,000 during last year's inaugural event, Shelly Poire said this year's YMCA "Send a Kid to Camp Music Festival" has big shoes to fill Saturday.
As obvious by its name, the event raises money for the Y's outreach fund and is earmarked for children who need financial assistance to attend summer camp, said Poire, the YMCA director of development and marketing.
Saturday's event, which has a goal of raising $18,000, is on tap from 4-9 p.m. at the 63 Soccer Sports Complex.
The family-friendly evening will feature live performances from The Dave Baker Band, Forrest McCurrent and the Daily Special, and the Jordan Heckemeyer Band. There will also be children's games on site along with caricatures from local artist Jim Dyke and magic from Gerry Tritz.
Food trucks Pizza Kwik, 2 Odd Dawgs and Rebel Tacos will be at the event along with beverages from BarVino, Last Flight Brewing Company, Fechtel Beverage and NH Scheppers Distributing.
Poire said after spending a year cooped up because of COVID-19, the local Y was looking for a new event for 2021 and came up with the music festival idea. It went so well, they decided to make it an annual event.
And it benefits a good cause.
There are 100 or so local children who qualify for assistance to attend camp, she said.
The YMCA summer camp is for children from kindergarten through sixth grade and costs $110 per week for members and $130 for non-members. Activities include field trips, special guests, swimming, and lots of fun and games.
"(The music festival) is a great opportunity for people to help keep kids safe, and they get to do fun things," Poire said. "The money goes to them so parents can be at work and kids can be in a safe environment and not home by themselves. It's exciting to me to be able to help them have a good summer."
Tickets for Saturday's event can be purchased through the Jefferson City YMCA website or at any of the three local Y facilities up until the day of the event. Advanced tickets are $25 for those 16 and older and $10 for ages 6-15; children younger than 5 are admitted for free. At the gate, tickets are $30 for those over 16 and $15 for 6- to 15-years-olds.
For more information on the Y's summer camp programs, visit www.jcymca.org/summer-camp.