By Dee Longfellow
For The Elmhurst Independent
On Saturday, Oct. 16, the place to be was the Elmhurst American Legion Post THB #187, especially if you are a country music fan.
John Nolden (fifth from left) of Guaranteed Rate in Elmhurst had the highest bid at the auction to obtain the autographed guitar in his hands. The auction was held on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the 2nd annual Nashville Songwriters Fundraiser at the Elmhurst American Legion THB Post #187, which received the proceeds of the evening. Also pictured are (from left) Chris Smith, musician Frank Myers, State Representative Deanne Mazzochi, who sponsored the entertainment, musician Anthony Smith, Noldan, and musician Jason Sever. (Not pictured: John R. Quigley, ECCI.) The three musicians took turns performing original songs they had written and kept the party going for more than two hours. Story and more photos inside.
Three musicians direct from Nashville were on the stage at the Legion performing original songs and entertaining the crowd of around 100 people who gathered there for the second annual Nashville Songwriter Fundraiser. All proceeds went to the Legion.
Beginning at 7 p.m., three musicians took the stage to perform their own original songs and to banter back and forth to keep a roomful country music enthusiasts entertained. The performers were Frank Myers, Jason Sever and Anthony Smith, all from Nashville, along with Kate Taylor Butler who performed the National Anthem and joined Myers on stage to sing the crowd favorite, “Crazy” by Patsy Cline. Butler is also a Nashville resident.
Tickets were $85 each, but they included all beverages as well as a lavish spread of sliders, mini-steak sandwiches, bruschetta and more, donated by local sponsoring restaurants. (Sponsors are listed later in this story.)
One of the exciting moments of the evening was the auction for an autographed guitar that one of the musicians on stage assured, “had a hit song in it.” After much live-auction action, the person who procured the guitar was John Noldan, whose company, Guaranteed Rate, was also a Blue sponsor of the evening.
Besides the Legion, the event was sponsored by the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry, which took care of all the logistics and ticket sales for the evening, allowing the general public to purchase tickets through its web site. ECCI’s John Quigley served as the on-site event coordinator throughout the evening.
Other sponsors were the City of Elmhurst, Explore Elmhurst, Community Bank of Elmhurst and Elmhurst Premier Childcare.
State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi was the Entertainment sponsor and served as special guest emcee.
The beverage sponsor was First Nation Group, a small business distributor of medical-surgical equipment and supplies to the federal government. First Nation offers remote setup solutions and pharmaceutical supply chain management and distribution.
Other program supporters were: Blue sponsors Scott and Charity Ahlgrim, Mark and Barb Mulliner, Grand Electric, John Noldan of Guaranteed Rate, Tannins Wine & Spirits, Phillip’s Flowers & Gifts; Red sponsors Paul and Debbie Durako, Spirito! Singers, HB Jones, @Schiller @properties, Roberto’s Ristorante; and White sponsors Advanced Orthodontic Specialists, Angileri & Associates, LeMeridian, William Mueller and Ralph Pechanio.
The evening’s entertainment lasted for more than two hours without a break and concluded with the audience seeming to want more. While it’s too early to know the official numbers, it appears that with ticket sales, sponsorships and almost $7,000 in auction items, the Legion could receive as much as $15,000.
Judging from the overall response, it seems likely there are already plans in the works for a third annual Nashville Songwriters event next year.
