Longing for Concert in Desert Comes up Dry Commentary “Let’S Rent a Near Palm Springs

NEWS Monday, May 9, 2016 Burlington County Times A3 Longing for concert in desert comes up dry Commentary “Let’s rent a near Palm Springs. The acts are attending this fall because, honestly, streams, including corporate spon- 40 percent of its population lives VW bus and go!” musical giants: Paul McCartney, my bank account is laughing at me. sorships, concessions, merchandise, below the poverty line. A withering I yelled to a co- Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Neil The Stones and Dylan play post-event content in the form of city — the poorest in America, and worker across the Young, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, on Oct. 7, McCartney and Young DVDs and other formats could among its more dangerous — thirst- newsroom who and another member of music’s on Oct. 8, and Waters and The push the haul toward $100 million. ing for clean water and a chance to knew exactly what Who’s Who — The Who. All of Who on Oct. 9. Tickets go on sale Billboard magazine reports that breathe again. A town that could I was referring to. them — whether individually, as a Monday. A general admission pass McCartney, the Stones and Waters use a song. A huge music band member, or both — are in the costs $199 per day, a three-day pass each will receive between $7 mil- I’ve seen McCartney in concert fan, he raised his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, have $399. A similar ticket at Woodstock lion and $10 million, while Dylan, three times, and he played just Phil G ianficaro eyebrows and sold gazillions of records, and con- cost $18, or about $125 in current Young and The Who will get more about everything I wanted to hear. grinned, as if seri- stitute the soundtrack of my youth. dollars. than $1 million each. Shed no tears I’ve seen Young once, and he played ously considering my directive. Sec- I dreamed of attending. My co- The climb gets steeper from for the latter three. Their estimated little of what I wanted to hear, his onds later, he effectively took a pin to worker shook me from my golden there, as reserved floor-seating net worth is $500 million. The com- heart of gold reserved for a song my concert-floating balloon just as I slumber. prices range from $699 to $1,599 per bined estimated worth of all the acts title, not his fans. I know the rest released it to the heavens. We talked There was a historic concert on ticket, reserved grandstand from exceeds $2 billion, so hold off on the of the all-star lineup from having about the ticket prices, which ranged Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York $999 to $1,599, and standing pit food drive. traveled their musical road paved in from the cost of a small snowblower in August 1969 that was just 2½ tickets $1,599. As its promoter, I would’ve vinyl, tape and CD. to a mini plow, and the cost of trans- hours from my home. I couldn’t Except for a marriage, mortgage, structured this event differently, Those memories of yesterday portation, lodging, food and drink attend because I was too young, my two car payments and two kids this concert for the ages (or should will have to suffice. The concert I from here to Southern California and mom and dad having been devo- involved in everything from soup to that be aged, given the youngest act, can’t afford to miss is the one I can’t back. He laughed dismissively and tees of the Ward and June Cleaver nuts, I’m there. Young, is 70?). I would’ve stuffed afford to attend. This will eat at me returned to work. I sighed. Bubble Wrap Your Child Approach So ... I’m not there. the money into pockets that are for months. But, I argued to my co-worker, to Parenting Handbook. The concert I won’t be attending empty rather than overflowing. I Call it my long and winding woe. the Desert Trip Festival is a Who’s There’s a three-day, mega-con- is, according to organizers, expected would’ve chosen a depressed city to Phil Gianficaro: 215-345-3078; Who of music royalty held over one cert at a 70,000-seat venue on the to gross $50 million at the box hold a benefit concert in the sum- Email: [email protected]; weekend in October at one place other side of the country I won’t be office alone. Other possible revenue mer. Maybe Flint, Michigan, where Twitter: @philgianficaro. Medford girl, 6, shows business savvy with fundraiser By Susan Sherry Miller millions toward finding a And come they did, one After two hours, Mom Correspondent cure for the disease after her after the other. helped Katelyn count the MEDFORD — Six-year- story inspired others to hold Little kids, big kids, money. It totaled well over old Katelyn Birchler’s goal their own lemonade sales to grown-ups, parents, grand- $300 and change by the end was a modest one: To raise raise both money and aware- parents. Familiar faces and of the day. $50 selling lemonade as part ness for childhood cancers. newcomers. But it didn’t end there. of Alex’s Lemonade Stand So Katelyn went home Some paid the asking Over the next few days, Foundation for childhood that day in mid-April and price for a plastic cup of lem- neighbors and friends who cancer. told her mother, MaryAnn, onade: $1. Others ponied up hadn’t been able to patronize Little did she know how about her plan to sell lem- Katelyn more, $5, $10, $20, to help the lemonade sale stopped good she was as a seller of onade to help sick children. Birchler, support the cause. by the Birchlers’ home and lemonade. Her goal was to raise $50. 6, of Hannah Culotta, whose dropped off donations. By Katelyn, who attends MaryAnn Birchler, direc- Medford, a mother, Cindy, works with the time all the money was Chairville Elementary tor of both the Schools Out kindergartner MaryAnn Birchler at Camp tallied, Katelyn had collected School, was moved to action Program and the Lake Stock- at Chairville Ockanickon, donated $25 $442.57 — far more than $50. when her kindergarten well Day Camp at YMCA Elementary and helped out on sale day. She and her mom went to teacher, Courtney Stuck, Camp Ockanickon in Med- School, Katelyn’s little sister, Anna, the bank a few days later, got read a story to the class about ford, quickly put her own raised 3, dressed in a princess cos- a cashier’s check, and sent the Alexandra “Alex” Flynn organizational skills to work $442.57 tume and kept vigil nearby. money to the Alex’s Lemon- Scott, the little girl who died to support her daughter. for Alex’s The family dog, Henry, a ade Stand Foundation. Pro- of neuroblastoma, a particu- “Katelyn came home Lemonade Welsh corgi, greeted custom- ceeds from all lemonade sales larly virulent form of pediat- from school and said she Stand ers with a friendly sniff and in Alex’s name are used to ric cancer, at age 8. wanted to raise money so Foundation a wag. fund research projects to fight The story was about the kids can get the medicine for childhood Katelyn took the job childhood cancer. now-famous Alex’s Lemon- they need to feel better,” cancer. seriously. She greeted each “She was exhausted but ade Stand Foundation, and Birchler said. “Of course, I Contributed customer in her quiet way. happy after the lemonade how Alex sold lemonade on wanted to support her.” Then, following her mother’s sale,” Birchler said about the front lawn of her home in She checked out the web- instructions to the letter, she her daughter’s busy day. “At West Hartford, Connecticut, site for Alex’s Lemonade Lemonade Stand — On Saturday, April 30, scooped one ice cube from one point, there was a long to raise money in the hopes of Stand, registered to run an Together, we can help fight Katelyn sat on a small chair the container, dropped it in line of people waiting to get helping other children with event, bought the lemonade childhood cancer.” She also in front of her lemonade a cup, and held out the cup lemonade. Katelyn said she cancer, while she herself was and cups, and then set about spread the word the old-fash- stand, with a shoebox for cash for her dad, Brent, to fill with was happy that the money slowly dying. getting the word out through ioned way, by affixing signs and a yellow container of ice lemonade. She then handed would help kids, but she was Since 2004, the year of social media. and balloons throughout her by her side, and waited for over the cup, thanked the also happy to be able to bring Alex’s death, the foundation She set up a Facebook Medford Commons neigh- the customers she just knew customer, and put the pro- people together. I’m so proud she helped create has raised post that read: “Katelyn’s borhood and beyond. would come. ceeds in her shoebox. of her.”

Monday, May 2nd – Friday, May 13th

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