'Tis the season!
This will be updated throughout December as more and more musicians give their time to help raise money and toys for the area’s lesser fortunate. If you know of others, or will be out taking pictures, let me or Mark know. We’ll be sure to include them here! Having a Merry Christmas while making it merry for so many people!
By Mary Jane Farmer
Musicians across Texoma are possibly the most generous people God put on this Earth. Without hesitation, most of them will nod an enthusiastic “yes” when asked to participate in fundraisers for a variety of causes, not only at the Christmas holidays, but all through the year. The Toys for Tots, or in some cases, toys of tots not affiliated with the official U.S. Marine Corp Foundation are a major concern for so many of them during this time of the year.
Photos of Spur 503 Thanks to Brian Page for contributing photos to this article.
It kicked off Saturday afernoon when Spur 503 took the makeshift, self-carpeted stage underneath the side canopied porch at Texoma Harley Davidson in Sherman. Surrounding them were hundreds of bikes and even more hundreds of giving bikers, some listening to the music, some milling around in old-home-week type conversations, and some partaking of the free food provided by the hosts and other businesses.
Spur 503 is a Denison-based band which generally produces a Texas country-rock sound unique because of several attributes: The vocals that Chance Cody produces, accented by harmonies by drummer Adam Doty, who also occasionally sings leads; Eric Peel’s fiddle talents, which are sought after by other bands, unsuccessfully as he’s kept his loyalties with Spur for several years now; Johnny Waite on bass guitar, a 22-year-old who was in his first band while a junior at Denison High School; and, new Saturday, an accoustic guitarist whose first name is Jared. I’ll find out his last name as time goes on.
Spur played until 4 p.m., then packed up to go to their next gig, at Texas Bull the same night.
IF you are reading this earlier Saturday afternoon, you might want to plan on going to Honey Grove VFW for the 4th Annual Fannin County Toy Drive this evening. Organizer Jeremy Key said that all toys donated to this event will go to children inside Fannin County. There will be acoustic sets from Chase Sanford, Michael O’Neal, Wesley Joe Malone, and Ryan Booth, plus a reunion of the Texas country band Level Route, all Fannin County musicians.
Next weekend brings three more events,
* Dec. 10, a musical benefit featuring multiple performers for the Abigail’s Arms Family Crisis Shelter Project is being held at 7 p.m. at the Gainesville ISD auditorium.
Titled the “Holiday Homecoming Celebration,” the benefit features Sugar Rush, an Alabama bluegrass band; 1 A Chord, the Texas country gospel group based in Gainesville, the Perry and Jones families; Sue Ann O’Neal from Branson, Missouri; Mike Culpepper; the Baggy Bottom Boys; Rosie O’Toole; and Grammy-award winner Jody Miller. This is all for a ticket price o $12.50 in advance, $15 at the door, and a constant $5 fee for childen 12 and younger.
For tickets or other information, call 940-665-0093.
* Dec. 10, Deryl Dodd is coming back to Denison for a Toys for Tots benefit concert, joined before and after his set by The Asphalt Cowboys. Admission to the venue, Cutter’s Dance Hall in Denison, is either a new unwrapped toy valued at least $10 or a minimum $10 donation at the door.
* Dec. 12, the now-annual Gringo Christmas Toys for Tots fundraiser is scheduled again at Big Slick’s in Westminster. This year’s event includes Robby White & The Tejas Gringos, Jerrod Medulla, Jerry Audley, and Tom McElvain. Admission is a new wrapped toy or those who pay the door fare can know that that money will go into the Toys for Tots fund. Set aside 1-6 p.m. Sunday for this big event in a little, Texas quaint bar!