Jacksonville Main Street’s Executive Director says an effort made by a group of donors at a recent benefit has doubled the awesomeness in helping both an area family, and the continuation of live music.
Members of the music and entertainment community in Central Illinois were shocked when Jacksonville native Doug Warcup passed away as the result of a motor vehicle accident in late November last year. Warcup was well known through his work as an audio engineer with Mason Sound of Jacksonville for many years.
Last weekend several of Doug’s friends held a benefit at the Danenberger Family Vineyard in an effort to help his wife and family following his sudden passing. Included in the silent auction was a prize package that included a three-hour non-stop concert by the band Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters who originated in Jacksonville, and whose members were close with Warcup. The package also included four kegs of Coors Light beer who is a primary sponsor of the band.
Judy Tighe, Executive Director for Jacksonville Main Street says when they heard of the event and the Captain Geech package, the Main Street board knew they needed to take their best shot at landing the prize. Event Coordinator Melissa Hebron attended the benefit with a budgeted amount to bid, but when other attendees found out Main Street wanted to support Warcup’s family and bring Geech to downtown Jacksonville, they all pitched in to help have the winning bid.
Tighe says it will take some time for the details to be worked out, however, the plan is to hold the Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters concert in downtown Jacksonville later this year as both a fundraiser and a way to give some long-overdue recognition.
“So it was a real win-win. The idea is we are going to do it later this fall, and it will be an awards kind of party because we are not going to have our annual public meeting where we give out our yearly awards, and of course, we didn’t do it last year either. So I have this list of names of people who need to be recognized for wonderful things, and it’s getting pretty long.
So we want to do that and then of course recolonize all of the people who helped us do this [event], but then also the idea is to use it as a fundraiser to get ready for the 2023 concert series and events.”
Tighe says many of the donors felt it was a win-win in that they were able to help Doug’s family in a tragic time as well as helping Main Street to continue the concert series. She says everyone at Jacksonville Main Street feels the same way, that the benefit and the future concert as a whole is a big win in more than one way.
“We are beyond thrilled. Beyond thrilled with the support we got from all these donors wanting to support us in this effort. But we are also really happy for Doug Warcup’s family too. That people were so generous and supportive, and hopefully, they feel that they feel that love and support from everybody too.”
Tighe says Doug Warcup served as the sound engineer for several of the downtown concert series events in the past, so Jacksonville Main Street is honored to have had the chance, and help by donors, to help Doug’s family while bringing his friends downtown to perform and help ensure live music can continue to echo throughout downtown Jacksonville.