“Greg lived a great life, but a short life, and he did so much,” said Unger. “He was so quiet about what he did. We loved him. He was our brother.”
Bisdorf died in May at the age of 41, and lived the 17Strong motto “We is greater than Me.” He supported several community organizations, including 17Strong, and Unger and the Corn Stand Jam, a concert and event created to raise awareness for mental health and illness.
The scholarship would support a student who is similar to Bisdorf with his passion for public service. The Corn Stand Jam, and this scholarship, encourages people to “Be Like Greg,” said Unger.
Credit: PROVIDED/17Strong
Credit: PROVIDED/17Strong
Patrick Wright, a 17Strong Advisory Board committee member and chair of the organization’s outreach committee, said Bisdorf’s family will be at Saturday’s concert “to honor Greg.”
“I knew we were doing it,” he said, though he wasn’t certain about the details of the scholarship. “But that’s one of the great things about our Corn Stand Jam team. We have total trust in one another and I knew it was just going to be great. Whatever we were going to do in Greg’s honor was going to be great.”
In addition to the announcement of the scholarship, the Corn Stand Jam in its seventh year will be more expansive. The footprint may not be bigger, but Unger said there will be more mental health agencies participating than before.
They will also have an upgraded kids area with a petting zoo and a giant inflatable corn maze.
“We’re focusing on kids, which is real important to us,” Unger said, adding they’ll be promoting their children’s book by Scott Smallwood, “Monkey & Bug’s Night at the Corn Stand Jam.”
The vendor area on Second Street will be filled with food trucks along with the kids zone and family areas, and the raffle and silent auction will again see a few hundred people participate.
The Corn Stand Jam started in honor of Unger’s son, Christian, who died from suicide on Aug. 7, 2019 at the age of 18.
While the Corn Stand Jam will forever be in Christian’s honor, Unger said he took his son’s name off the event’s name because he wanted it to be a community event that helps focus on mental health and illness, especially suicide prevention.
This year, the free event will focus on the suicide rate among military veterans, which is on the rise, and “that’s important to us,” Unger said. Unger and his crew will present a check to Save a Warrior.
“We’re going to encourage people to wear camouflage pants, shorts or cargos,” said Unger, who said the event’s shirts are Army green with black writing. “It’s kind of a uniform and we’re kind of running with it because these vets need help, they need our support, they need to know somebody gives a damn about them. That we care.”
The musical line up will feature Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio performing at 8 p.m. with the opening acts being Miss Jacque at 3 p.m. and Dat Band at 5:30 p.m. A Rozzi’s fireworks display returns after a year hiatus. Festivities for the day begin at noon.
Wright said the mission of the event is very important because “it’s okay to not feel okay, and it’s okay to talk about it.”
“We have tons of resources in Butler County, so coming to an event like the Corn Stand Jam puts these services front of mind for someone, and makes approaching them less intimidating,” he said.
For more information on the Corn Stand Jam, visit www.cornstandjam.com.
CORN STAND JAM
When: Noon to 10 p.m., Saturday
Where: Marcum Park and RiversEdge off Dayton Street, Hamilton
What: The event will feature a kids zone, family area and vendors, and three musical acts starting at 3 p.m. The event will end with a Rozzi’s fireworks display.
More info: Visit www.cornstandjam.com.
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