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RHINELANDER, Wis. - The Northwoods Benefit Concert: An Evening of Dreams will take place Saturday at Hodag Park in Rhinelander.
Multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated country music artists David Nail and Thompson Square as well as Rachel Neal and The Brady Luke Band will perform. Food and drink will be on sale from local vendors, and concertgoers can also take part in fun activities for the whole family.
The seven-hour event begins at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $10 for children age 5 and younger to $60 for general admission day-of purchases. Capacity is limited. Attendees are encouraged to secure their tickets early and take advantage of discounted advance pricing.
The family-friendly event is the first of its kind at Hodag Park and its new amphitheater. Rhinelander local Jesse Robinson created the event to raise funds for end-of-life Dreams and care. It will be hosted by the Snowshoe Baseball team and newly incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit Dazzle's Demons.
The inspiration for the event came from Robinson's mother, Laura, who was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer in 2007, when Robinson was 15 years old. Robinson has always remembered the care she was shown at the end of her life and the kindness of those who helped his mother's final Dream of taking her family to California come true.
Laura had briefly lived in Los Angeles before returning home to Wisconsin. When she learned that she was facing the end of her life, she dreamed of returning to California with her family to show them all her favorite places, a trip she believed would "make them smile for a lifetime."
Laura didn't have the means to take her family on the trip, but fortunately, her favorite oncology nurse helped her apply to Dream Foundation -- the only national dream-granting nonprofit serving terminally ill adults and their families. Dream Foundation provided flights and accommodations for Laura, her three children -- including Jesse -- and Laura's sister. Dream Foundation also arranged tickets to Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood and a Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers baseball game.
Nearly 20 years later, Robinson still remembers his mom dancing in the dining room at his cousin's house in Pasadena, watching her Brewers play the Dodgers, collecting sand from Santa Monica beach (a keepsake Jesse and his sister still treasure), and the Disneyland crowds that were all but invisible to his beaming mom.
"I had never seen nor would ever see my mom happier than she was on that trip," he said.
Robinson and his team have secured sponsorships from Lake Shore Systems Inc. dba Trident Maritime Systems, Alex C. Dove Foundation, Consumer Science North, ABX, Fraiser's Plumbing and Heating, and Ahlstrom to help cover the costs of Saturday's event, so that 100% of ticket sales and other proceeds will go toward Dream Foundation, Aspirus Cancer Care -- James Beck Cancer Center in Rhinelander, and Aspirus Seasons of Life Hospice House in Woodruff.
"My hope is that when people look back on this night, they remember more than the music," Robinson said. "I hope they remember a community showing up for neighbors facing some of the hardest days of their lives, and proving that even in those moments, they are not alone."
Dream Foundation's CEO Kisa Heyer is touched by the support. "Jesse and his team have poured their hearts into creating a wonderful event that will help those facing the end of life," she says. "My deepest gratitude goes to everyone involved. Jesse has never forgotten his mother's Dream, and the Dreams this event makes possible will create lifelong memories for others.”
To purchase tickets, go to https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/northwoods-benefit-concert.
For more information, go to https://linktr.ee/dazzlesdemons.