A live music and auction event in Greenfield this weekend aims to help the western Iowa community as it continues to recover from the deadly tornado that hit back in May.
Thaddeus Hawley, president of Greenfield’s Warren Cultural Center, says the idea for Sunday’s benefit started as a Facebook post and has grown into much more.
“The music starts at 12:30 and we have four bands, and then we do our auctions,” Hawley says, “and then we’ll do our headliner act, who’s Hector Anchondo. He’s the 2020 international solo duo artist/blues artist of the year.”
He says all sorts of collectibles are being donated to be a part of the auction and raffle.
Hawley says, “I just can’t believe how much of, not only our local community has stepped up, but we’ve gotten donations from places like the Rusty Duck in Dexter, places from Des Moines, an Urbandale flower shop up there sent me stuff.”
The list includes an electric guitar autographed by country music star Vince Gill, and NASCAR driver Sammy Smith donated two fire suits, along with some t-shirts and die-cast metal replicas of his Xfinity race car.
“The big ticket items like the guitar, the William Elliot Whitmore signed albums, we have a 2020 Pheasants Forever print — all those will be on a regular ‘you buy a ticket, you hope you win’ raffle,” Hawley says. “Some of our baked goods and some of our other items, like the quilt we have that was quilted by a 90-year-old lady, that will probably be live auction.”
The twister destroyed the Greenfield Volunteer Fire Station and all proceeds from Sunday’s event will go toward rebuilding the station.
(By Ric Hanson, KJAN, Atlantic)