Michigan “bluegrass thrash” band The Native Howl will headline a Sept. 22 charity rock show called Revel for a Cause at Depot Street Park in Greenfield.
GREENFIELD — Keely Butrum was reveling in a rock concert in Columbus, Ohio this summer when inspiration struck.
The Greenfield entrepreneur decided to invite the band to headline a charitable rock show in her hometown of Greenfield on the Depot Street Park stage.
Less than three months later, she’ll bring her vision to fruition when the Revel for a Cause event comes to the Depot Street Park on Sept. 22.
The four-hour concert experience will be free, with the opportunity to donate to two local nonprofits — the Talitha Koum recovery house and The Landing, which offers recovery support for teens and adults.
Butrum chose those two charities because she too has struggled with addiction, but she said the charities that benefit from Revel For a Cause can change from year to year.
“It would be really cool if it got so big and popular we could have more than two charities in the future,” she said.
She came up with the event’s name — Revel for a Cause — to reflect the joy of giving.
“Revel means to take delight or great pleasure, so I was trying to think of a name that would set a tone for coming to have a good time but also indicate some charitable event,” she said.
The inaugural event runs from 6-10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, with three bands performing — The Native Howl, The Gasoline Gypsies and Mercury’s Muse.
The Native Howl calls their sound “blue grass thrash” — a combination of bluegrass, rock and metal. The Michigan-based band won a televised contest called “No Cover” by unanimous decision, with judges including Alice Cooper and Gavin Rossdale.
The Gasoline Gypsies describe their sound as Rock Americana, and have won a number of Detroit-based music awards.
In addition to music, Hancock County Tourism has provided a grant to bring a bubble station, street performers, face painters, a caricaturist and balloon artist to keep the kids entertained.
The grant also covers the cost of event posters that can be signed by the headline band members after the show.
Butrum set about organizing the rock charity event all on her own after seeing The Native Howl perform in late June.
She quickly set about booking the bands and securing sponsors, already raising enough to cover her costs and provide some money for charity before the public ever makes the first donation.
“I’m not quite to the $5,000 mark (for charity) I was hoping for, though, and am still taking sponsors,” she said.
Summer Bash Indiana is the presenting sponsor, while a handful of local businesses make up the six title sponsors: Chicago’s On Tap; Dave’s Car Wash & Grill; Field’s Tree Service; Greenfield Bank; Hancock Health; and NineStar Connect.
“This is the first event of this kind that I’ve ever put on, and I’m just really grateful that there were people in the community that also thought it sounded like a great idea and who were willing to put their money behind it to help me get it off the ground,” said Butrum.
She knew she wanted to host the event at Depot Street Park before the park even opened.
Butrum was serving on the Greenfield City Council when the city was working toward winning the $18 million Stellar Communities Grant in 2018, which would lead to the development of the park, among other enhancements.
“I knew I wanted to have an event in that park before it was even rentable,” she recalled.
If all goes well, she hopes to make the concert an annual event, donating the proceeds to different causes each year.
The first two recipients — The Landing and the Talitha Koum House — are both near and dear to her heart.
“I have a special place in my heart for mental health and addiction issues, and these two organizations do so much to help those who are struggling,” said Butrum, who has been sober since October 2008.
“I just believe so much that people at rock bottom need access to something that can teach them what it would take to turn their life around, and these organizations are doing that,” she said.
“Recovery is such a long road, but time helps and getting the tools for sobriety helps. Both those organizations are providing those tools to people at little or not cost, and really working their butts off in the county to raise money to make those resources available.”
Despite running her own business and serving in local politics — including one term on the Hancock County Council and one on the Greenfield City Council — Butrum has always carved time into her busy schedule to work that feeds her soul.
“I’m very fortunate that I’ve worked for myself a long time and can make my own schedule, so I’ve always left room open to take on the things I want to do rather than things that will make more money. I want to do things that intrigue and inspire me,” said Butrum, who is hoping the community will be inspired to come out and join her Sept. 22 for Revel for a Cause.
For information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Butrum at [email protected].
