Kelseyville >> In the month since the Valley Fire blazed through the southern part of the county, fundraisers and benefit concerts and events have been frequent. Locals and visitors alike have come together to compile a good chunk of money for different funds, organizations, families and animals. And the stream of events doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
On Sunday afternoon Ty’s Blues and Food on Soda Bay Rd. in Kelseyville will open their doors for a Valley Fire fundraiser with all proceeds going to five preselected families or individuals affected by the fire. The idea for the fundraiser came from the restaurant’s manager, Crystal Williams, who owns a hair salon in Clearlake. Not long after the fire broke out, she decided to open her salon as a donation center.
She disbursed the donations to local churches and organizations and once that was through, she wanted to step it up a notch. “I just decided, we need to do a little bit more,” Williams said. “I’m a person that’s very active in my community anyway.”
So she went to work organizing Sunday’s fundraiser. She reached out to musicians who have played at Ty’s Blues and Food over the years and managed to wrangle together a handful of performers, each donating their time for their respective sets. Performers include the Jay Bird Band, Midnight Sun Massive and Dub Highway, Andre Williams, Twice as Good, Rob Reason, Kevin Blackmon, “Mojo” Larry Platz, Howard Dockens and Kim Thomas.
The fundraising will begin as early as 9 a.m. with a yard sale, raffle and silent auction until 2 p.m. Though raffles and auctions aren’t unusual when it comes to fundraising, the yard sale is somewhat out of the ordinary. Williams said she just had so many leftover clothes donations it made sense to sell them. They’ll be inexpensive, such as a $5 fill-me-up bag.
Then from 3 p.m. -7 p.m. the music and food begins. There’s a donation of $5 for the music and $10 for dinner.
The event will also include plenty of activities for kids, who are admitted free of charge.
While fundraisers are plentiful, perhaps a unique aspect of Sunday’s event is the audience. Specifically, some of the five Valley Fire victims who will receive the proceeds from the day will be in attendance. Williams selected them herself from a list given to her by friends, family and the event performers. She looked for a range of people, from young to old, single to married. The only criteria was need. Many of the victims are still homeless, living with relatives, in tents or at Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa. “We wanted to do people who were less eligible who were in desperate need,” Williams said. “A lot of people have already gotten money and finances from FEMA and family. These are people who haven’t gotten anything yet.”
Although Ty’s Blues and Food doesn’t operate as a restaurant regularly, the place opens its doors for special occasions, such as Sunday’s fundraiser. Williams wanted to host the event, since there has yet to be one in the Soda Bay area. “We decided to open up just for this event to help people,” she said. “God has been good to us and we have to be good to other people. Nobody ever gave up on us so we’re not going to give up on other people. That’s how we operate.”
Williams and the Ty’s Blues and Food crew are expecting a large turnout, which will hopefully translate to a large sum of money for the fire victims. Once the event is through, the funds will be split equally between the five victims.
Ty’s Blues and Food is located at 6445 Soda Bay Rd. If anyone has items auction or raffle items to donate, call 655-8559.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
