Help sought for Schoharie flood concert

PHOTOGRAPHER: Edward Munger Jr.

Organizers are calling for volunteers to help coordinate a full-day music festival Saturday that is expected to boost donations for a regional flood recovery organization.

Schoharie Area Long Term Recovery, or SALT, hopes to find roughly 75 people to serve as parking attendants, to help load and unload band equipment, clean up and man the bounce houses, among other tasks for the event.

Twelve hours of nonstop music are planned for the 2nd Annual Schoharie Valley Rock ’n’ Roll Flood Relief Concert, running from noon to midnight Saturday, right off Main Street, behind the county office building.

The event will serve as a kickoff for SALT’s “Way to Go” fundraising program, the goal of which is to reach $250,000 in donations, which local company Fenimore Asset Management has pledged to match.

“We’ve come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go,” SALT Director Sarah Goodrich said.

The organization has raised more than $200,000 since it was created following tropical storms Irene and Lee, a tiny fraction of the cost of rebuilding the Schoharie Valley over the next three to five years.

There’s no charge to attend the event, but numerous vendors are paying a $20 fee to attend and those proceeds are going directly toward getting people back home.

“We’re anxious to get as many people as possible into their homes … before winter sets in,” Goodrich said.

About a quarter of the homes that sustained severe damage have been repaired to the point where families could move back in under safe and sanitary conditions.

Several activities are planned for children as well, with bounce houses and a children’s fun fair from noon to 6 p.m.

Performers booked for the event include Poor Dead Molly, Flashback, Max Violet, Chelsea Cavanaugh, Chicken Herders, Shakey Ground, Von Rudder and Crash Coarse.

There will be opportunities to donate to the cause during the event, and donations also are being accepted online at www.saltrecovery.org.

People interested in volunteering for shifts during the event are asked to send an email to [email protected] or call 545-0989.