It’s come and gone now, this yearly one-day event that assists a woman fighting cancer. Musicians band together to present a day of fundraising, fun raising, great music, and most of all — hope for one brave person and her family.
It’s sort of like the old tale about the boy walking along the seashore who picks up a starfish from the sand and tosses it back into the water. His friend asks why he did that, because there are so many starfish on the sand, how could he make a difference. The boy answered, “It made a difference for that one.”
The “starfish” this year was Lauri Hendricks Berlof, from McKinney, who has been battling a more uncommon type of cancer. Her bravery has spread not only to become strength for her family, but also has allowed her to find the strength to enter a fundraising run for other cancer victims. Shy as she was about being the center of attention, when Lauri finally seemed to realize that people were there because they loved her, even the many friends she hadn’t met yet, she relaxed and had a great time.
In all the benefit netted more than $2,000 to help Lauri with her needs.
Photos of the event, taken by Mary Jane Farmer (that’s me) and Alyssa Miller, are in individual albums here. It may take some patience to go through them all, so settle in with your favorite brew or, if you are like me, an ice cold Diet Coke, and take time to scroll through the albums. Enjoy, and save a Sunday in April 2012 for the 4th Red Dirt Pink Shirt, cause it’s gonna happen again.
Saille Branch & The Big Benders
Robby White & The Tejas Gringos
Merrol Ray & The Regulators