After a year hiatus, the annual Keep the Beat charity concert is returning to Lakeside Park.
“We’ve got a 12-hour music program from 10 a.m to 10 p.m. It’s been two months of heavy work getting this ready, which has involved 22 people all working on different events,” said student organizer Galen Boulanger.
They currently have 200 RSVPs on Facebook, but they anticipate over 500 residents will come through the park over the course of the day. The event, which takes place on August 23, is a fundraiser for War Child Canada.
“After a war, once a ceasefire is reached, emergency aid leaves and it takes years before the government can reimplement necessary services such as education, health care and a judicial system,” said Dunavan Janzen-Morris.
“War Child Canada focuses on that gap. When a country reaches a ceasefire there’s still many things creating an atmosphere where war can return. It’s very unstable. War Child works to keep the ceasefire sustained and directly focuses on the children.”
War Child is currently active in eight countries: Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Uganda, Darfur, Sudan, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia.
“They’ve been so impressed with how much we’ve raised in the past and our fiery passion,” said Boulanger. “We actually had people from War Child come out to see Keep the Beat.”
This year’s lineup includes a number of local acts, including student-leg L.V. Rogers jazz combo Swing Theory, local singer Erica Dee, and performers from Starbelly Jam such as James Lamb and Mrs. Strange. Local director of the Symphony of the Kootenays Jeff Faragher will also take the stage.
“We have a really sweet rock band out of Castlegar called Roy has Fire. They’ll be closing down the show” said Janzen-Morris. “They’re mini-moshpit material. We’re excited to have them.”
In addition to the musical lineup, Keep the Beat will also feature a raffle, a silent auction featuring items donated by local businesses, a kid’s activity tent with bracelet-making, hula hooping, face-painting and a variety of kids’ games.
Due to generous support from the community, all activities will be free. For information search for Keep the Beat 2014 on Facebook.