On Sat., Oct. 15 at 8 a.m., the gates will open at Mic Mac Campground on Rt 17, Union on “The First Backwoods Bash.”
The concert, pit party, motorcycle run and down home good time is set to benefit Waldoboro resident Valarie Hale, a 43-year-old woman living with a debilitating genetic condition called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. The condition causes enzymes in the human body to attack itself.
In Hale’s case, it has attacked her lungs causing a rare and difficult to treat form of emphysema. It is probable that she will need a lung transplant within the next two years. Insurance does not come close to covering all the expenses of treating this condition.
Four friends, Melinda LeBlanc, Katharine Lunt, Paul Brooks and Charles Daniel joined forces to recruit seven bands for the all-day event. At press time the line-up included: Tri- Polar, Rave On Band, Juke Rockets, Five Shadow Band, Riptyde Band, Mid-Life Crisis, So What Band, Odlaw (Sam Ladd & Jerry Weaver, Acoustic), Duff Powell (Comedy, Acoustic), and featuring Shayna Harvey on vocals and as event MC.
“We were talking about Valarie and just decided to help,” said LeBlanc.” We forget all the time that we can make a choice to do something or just stand by. We chose to do something.”
With barely four weeks from the concept of a fundraiser to the event itself, the organizers have recruited 100 volunteers, over 85 business sponsors and dozens of donations, including a guitar signed by George Clooney, get-away stays at local resorts, and much more. There will be vendors, tattoo artists and all the trappings of a country fair to enjoy.
The “Backwoods Bash,” a BYOB event is for the 21 and over age group; no children will be admitted to the grounds. Tickets sold exclusively on the day of the event at the gate are $45 per couple, or $30 for a single ticket. With admission, attendees will have their choice of one meal; breakfast, a pig roast or a barbeque, shuttle service from the parking lot, and all day music.
There will be a Benefit Motorcycle Ride on the same day for Hale, ending at the Backwoods Bash. “Friends for Friends,” Stacey Howard and the Backwoods Bash are pleases at the response for this First Annual Ride. The cost of the ride is a suggested donation of $25, which includes admission to the Backwoods Bash, as well as a choice of meal. No one will be turned away from the ride. The ride will begin at Union Fairgrounds, leaving at 10 a.m. and finish at the Mic Mac Campground.
Security staff for the event will be checking IDs for age verification at the gate.
Meticulously planned safeguards include a shuttle bus that will bring guests from the parking area to the concert area, designed to keep traffic at a minimum and allow for the Motorcycle run, planned as an adjunct event, to enter unimpeded and a Sheriff outside the gate to insure that no one who is driving home has been drinking.
Three options are available to anyone unable to drive home safely; Kathy Lunt, the owner of Mic Mac Campground will make cabins available at a minimal rate; a taxi service will be available or a guest may choose to call someone for a ride home. No one will be permitted to leave until that ride arrives.
“We want everyone to go back to when things were simpler and more fun,” said LeBlanc,” Like the old days of the Pit Parties, with a little adult common sense thrown in. We had such great times then, and we can have them now, and help Valarie at the same time.”
Hale will soon need to have oxygen on a daily basis, but the enthusiastic and optimistic woman would really like to be involved in the stem-cell research studies in Boston. These trials that might be an alternative to a lung transplant have been closed to her thus far.
To participate in most clinical or experimental trials, a patient has to meet certain criteria. To combat her compromised system, Hale has been having weekly infusions and is on a protein replacement protocol that should make her eligible for the studies. It will boost her immune system by increasing her protein levels to that of the average person. These treatments cost upwards of $6000 a week.
Camping reservations may be made directly through Kathy Lunt at Mic Mac Campground, at 207-785-4100. For more information on the Backwoods Bash, contact Melinda LeBlanc at 342-2519.
