Bands bring music and donations to Butler Backpack Fest
After a brief rain delay the bands came out to play Sunday evening in Pullman Park.
The Butler Backpack Fest used Michelle Krill Memorial Field as a venue, and its admissions raised money for the Butler Weekend Backpack Program.
The Butler Area School District program sends participating children in grades kindergarten through fifth with packaged food in their backpacks to help them stay fed through weekends during the school year.
Some visitors also dropped off nonperishable food items in a designated box nearby.
Destiny Dunbar and Hunter Minteer, both of Butler, came with a group of friends who dropped a grocery bag into the bin.
“Any band that supports the local community, I try to support,” Minteer said.
Dunbar said she was excited to see the bands, particularly Wave Spy, a band that includes Butler County natives.
“We know of a few of the members,” she said.
The event was coordinated by Chris Zidek, a Butler alumnus who is studying film production at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
“It feels really awesome we could rally seven groups and bring them to one spot for this,” Zidek said. “Seeing people come through the door is a great feeling too.”
Scheduled for a 4 p.m. start, the gig began about an hour late due to a quick spurt of rain, but Zidek remained composed as he continued coordinating the effort.
He then introduced the first band, the Platelets, who drove from Johnstown to be there. Zidek said he was glad to bring in a couple of bands from outside the county because they would, in turn, bring other fans and donations to the area.
Wearing a Breaking Benjamin shirt, Colin Smith, of Ellwood City, said he was on leave from the U.S. Air Force, and he came to festival to support his friend, the musician Dexvn, who played later in the evening.
“It’s great having fun and everything, but it’s also great to give back to a community,” Smith said.
Zidek said during his later years at Butler High School he did a video project where he connected with coordinators of the backpack program and learned about their mission.
On Sunday, a handful of those coordinators showed up to the concert, including the program’s founder, Kim Thomas.
Thomas, who also is a teacher in the district, formed the program in fall 2015, and she said it continues to expand thanks to its many volunteers.
“We know they’re not ready to work, if their bellies are rumbling,” Thomas said.
She said this year for space reasons, the program will be moving to the Butler Intermediate High School as a central hub, and the district will help distribute the food to the various elementary schools.
Also, this year is the first year fifth-graders can receive food from the program. In years past, fourth grade was the cutoff.
“We serve about 300 kids every year, and with fifth-graders added, we’re anticipating another 100,” Thomas said.
Thomas said she appreciated that Zidek reached out to them wanting to support the program, and she was excited to see him excel in putting together the event in only a few months.
“It’s amazing to see an alumni coming back and giving back,” Thomas said. “It’s cool to see former students achieve their goals and dreams.”
Zidek said he wanted to put on an event with extra benefits because he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Cole Bennett, founder of Lyrical Lemonade, national company that produces music videos.
Zidek said he hopes he will someday get to work with Bennett, who he always appreciated for using his gift for great causes and to cast new light on the Chicago music scene.
“The community of Butler has talent and artists who want exposure, too. Why not throw one here?” Zidek said. “Sometimes you gotta do your own thing and bring your own fun to Butler.”
