“It’s hell and high water, that you’re going through,” goes the chorus of Alex Harvey and T. Graham Brown’s 1986 country hit, and that certainly was the experience for hundreds of Central Texas families during the devastating floods last month.
Hundreds of homes were badly damaged, and many were completely destroyed. Adding to the troubles, because this area had suffered from drought for years, and certainly had not seen flooding any time in recent memory, many people did not have flood insurance.
In a great example of Texans taking care of Texans, community leaders have pulled together a strong lineup of musicians and sponsors for an all-day concert in Austin on Sunday, June 28, 2015. The concert, called “FloodAidTX,” will be held at the Palmer Events Center starting at noon until 10:00 pm, and feature over 25 musicians on four different stages.
According to event organizer Thomas Graham, over 900 families in Hays and Travis Counties need help, and current damage estimates are about six to seven million dollars and counting.
Graham told Breitbart Texas that he is most proud of the fact that “every penny that we raise is going to the families.” With less than a month to plan, they were still able to secure enough sponsors to cover all the administrative and production costs and the musicians are donating their time.
General admission tickets are available for $35 each, or $100 for four. VIP tickets are $150. Children 12 years of age and under are free. All proceeds will go to the The United Way of Hays County Flood Relief Fund and the Austin Disaster Relief Network.
Ray Benson and Jack Ingram are the official FloodAidTX hosts, and will end the evening with a “Hell or High Water Bash,” an all-star jam session featuring other music legends including Robert Earl Keen, Reckless Kelly’s Cody and Willy Braun, Kevin Fowler, Little Joe Y La Familia, and more. Other acts performing include Drew Womack, Gary P. Nunn, Sunny Sweeney, Shinyribs, A.J. Castillo, the Texas Tornadoes, Cory Morrow, and more. A full lineup is posted on the FloodAidTX website here.
The event is presented by the City of Austin, Travis County, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), the Texas Music Office, and the Palmer Events Center. The HEB grocery chain is sponsoring the Jack Ingram Stage, Dell Computers is sponsoring the Ray Benson Stage, and Pepsi is a music sponsor.
FloodAidTX is produced by Crosswind Media & Public Relations and Clayton Corn Productions along with creative support from LBTJ Creative and volunteer support from Fabulous Working Ladies service group. Backstage Design Studios produced the FloodAidTX logo. Clayton Corn previously worked on the Young Texans’ Celebration that was held the night before Gov. Greg Abbott’s inauguration back in January. A full list of sponsors and production partners is listed here.
Breitbart Texas will be at FloodAidTX on Sunday to cover the concert and their fundraising efforts.
For more information or to purchase tickets for FloodAidTX, please visit www.floodaidtx.org.
Anyone who cannot attend but would like to help can text the word FLOODTX to 41444 to make a donation. Additional donation opportunities are posted here.
Don’t mess with Texas. Come hell or high water, we support each other. Text to donate today. pic.twitter.com/gSqg3T3kzV
— Flood Aid TX (@FloodAidTX) June 27, 2015
[Disclosure: Sarah Rumpf was previously employed by Crosswind Media & Public Relations.]
Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter @rumpfshaker.
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