Cap Cancer Raised Funds and the Sun

July 20, 2009 by Dick.

Yesterday was a pretty darned good day.

The Cap Cancer Festival in Highgate Municipal Park yesterday brought out hundreds of people, three bands, a ton of hot dogs and birthday cake, and even the Sun. The event used hair cuts and music to raise funds for Camp Ta-Kum-Ta and for cancer research.

And the rain stayed away. Mr. Sun broke through for the first time in days at just as Pat started cutting my tail.

“We are not styling hair here today,” I told the crowd between music sets. “People who undergo cancer treatment often lose their hair. We’ll buzz it off or shave your head to show solidarity.”

And to raise money. The Festival raised more than $1,200 on Sunday alone for Camp Ta-Kum-Ta and the American Cancer Society. We don’t have the final PayPal totals yet and donations are still coming in as of this morning.

Pat Gagne of Elite Hair Salon in St. Albans buzzed or shaved 8 men and women throughout the day: Anne Harper, Hayes Johnson, Ed Jones, Scott Martin, Steven Martin, Richard Menard, Karl Schraut, and yours truly. She shaved Messrs. Jones and Schraut and me. Every participant received a ball cap from the cap sponsors.

“It’s the best haircut I’ve had in five years,” Highgate Moderator Scott Martin said. Martin said his sports teams at MVU cut his hair most seasons.

The festival collected several pony tails including the first from Karl Schraut of Barre, Vermont, for Locks of Love.

The free concerts began at 4 p.m. with fine artist Pat Murphy and Colleen Murphy on guitar and fiddle playing folk and popular music and even a waltz. The indie rock group Rockfish offered original music. The Nobby Reed Project anchored the Festival in an evening Summer Sounds concert.

The Cap Cancer Festival is an all volunteer community effort with support from the All Arts Council, JC Image, KOOL 105, Peoples Trust Company, the St. Albans Messenger, the Town of Highgate, and the Highgate Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary. The bands donated their performances and Ms. Gagne her tonsorial art. The Highgate Auxiliary donated the entire proceeds of their social to Cap Cancer.

Look for the performances, and my own hair cut, on the Almost Live concert series on Channel 15.

Many years ago, my mom taught me the secrets to gracious living. “Your lawn should never look freshly mown and your hair should never look freshly cut.” The weather has made sure my hayfield never seems fresh mown but we surely demolished the second one for a good cause.

And it looks like my son-in-law, a sergeant for the Franklin County Sheriff, is now the long hair in the family.

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