how to go
what: Blue Christmas concert
when: 7:30-11:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16
where: Disabled American Veterans hall, 4610 Trenton-Franklin Road, Middletown
cost: $20 for general admission, table of six for $120, or front-row table of six for $150
Tickets and sponsorship: Call Middletown Area United Way (513) 705-1160 or purchase at the door.
MIDDLETOWN — Only the musicians and the cause are staying the same.
On its 20th anniversary, Blue Christmas, a major fund raiser for Middletown’s homeless shelter, is changing venues and dates.
The jazz and blues concert, a staple at the Manchester Inn for most of its history, is moving to the Disabled American Veterans hall in Madison Twp., and moving its date from a Sunday to a Friday, said Chuck Evans, coordinator of the event.
He described the DAV hall as “gorgeous, absolutely beautiful.”
Blue Christmas was founded 20 years ago by Gregg Clark, a popular Middletown musician who will celebrate his birthday by being one of the featured acts this year. Evans said the event has averaged raising about $5,000 a year, or about $100,000 during its history to Hope House.
Evans said Hope House is the beneficiary because it “really needs help.”
The Rev. Mitchell Foster, executive director of the Hope House, said the donation is placed in the general fund and used for the residents’ needs and programs.
He called the money “a very big help... everything helps in this economy.”
Some of the featured bands are: Gregg Clark and the Royal Blues, Swamp Bees, Kenny Ray Hart, Adagio Blue, Chuck Evans and Cincinnati’s Beverly Lucken, Bad Men on a Mission, a winner of the Cincinnati Blues Society battle of the bands.
Evans said a cash bar and food will available and proceeds will benefit the veterans.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.
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