(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Oct. 21, 2009.)
A benefit concert is being planned to assist those impacted by the Thanksgiving fire at the Empire Hotel.
The Empire Strikes a Chord concert will be held on Nov. 5 or 6 (date to be confirmed) at the Algonquin Theatre at 7:30 p.m.
The Huntsville Festival of the Arts has put together an organizing committee with members of the local musical community who have ties to the Empire building and its owner, Dave Keay.
In addition to a musical extravaganza, the day will feature a silent art auction in Partners Hall, hosted by the Huntsville Arts Society. Proceeds of both the auction and the concert will be directed to a trust fund that has been established for the fire victims.
Although the roster is still being finalized, the organizers plan to primarily feature performers who have played at the Hideaway, as the Empire’s music venue has been most recently known. So far, the lineup of confirmed guests includes, in alphabetical order: Doug Banwell, Cabin Fever (Eric Johnson, Doug Veitch and Dave Hilton), Ruth Cassie, James Gordon, Linda and Andy McLean, Bill Stewart, Tina Turley and the Woodshed Improv Collective. Other musicians who have appeared at the Hideaway are also being contacted.
Tickets for The Empire Strikes a Chord will be $20. They will be available later this week through the Algonquin Theatre box office: 789-4975 or www.algonquintheatre.ca.
For more information, please contact Rob Saunders, Huntsville Festival of the Arts general manager: 788-2787 or info@huntsvillefestival.on.ca.
