Harvest reunites for benefit concert against cancer

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Their flier is an absolute delight, as I am sure those who have seen it will agree.

It shows them as they were, and as they are now.

But apart from the clothes, a little less hair and a pound or two, they look pretty darn good!

Harvest, a band that performed in our area from 1973 to 1976, has regrouped and is hosting the Harvest Benefit Concert-Dance from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at Comins Grange Hall on Route 9 in East Eddington.

No admission will be charged, but a $5 minimum donation is requested to benefit CancerCare of Maine at Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Doors actually will open at 6 p.m., with prerecorded music and the concert-dance an hour later. Refreshments will be available at intermission.

Harvest is Brian Catell of Bangor, piano-bass-vocals; Rick Haseltine of Orrington, guitar-vocals; Mike Sturdee of Hermon, saxophone-vocals; and Carl Willoughby of Bangor, drums-vocals.

The band regrouped in memory of their late friend and manager, Tony Baude of Bangor, who died of cancer at 56 last November, leaving a wife and three children.

Willoughby said he and Baude were very close.

“For 26 years we did everything together. We celebrated birthdays and holidays together. His children are like my own. We were both in the automobile business. When I lost him, I lost a huge piece of my life.”

To honor that friend, the band decided it was time to polish off the old music and invite everyone for an evening of dancing and fun.

Of the multiple reasons for hosting this concert – not the least of which is that the band members are having the time of their lives preparing for it – one is to give something back, Willoughby said.

The men know this area “has been very good to the four of us,” Willoughby said.

“It’s given us our homes, our livelihoods and a great place to raise our children,” to say nothing of lifelong friendships.

And while the men have been busy with work, home and family and putting the band in the background for all these years, they are now “having a ball,” Catell said.

“The rehearsals have been great and that, in itself, has been worth so much.

“I laugh more on rehearsal night than I do the rest of the week!”

Although the concert “is dedicated to everyone affected by cancer,” Willoughby said, “it is being presented “in the memory of Tony, and all his family will be there.”

If you cannot attend but would like to help with this fund-raiser, donations can be sent to Harvest Concert Project, c/o Eastern Maine Medical Center Charities, P.O. Box 404, Bangor 04402-0404.

Debora Farnham, the new Bangor regional director of the American Heart Association, reminds you that every 33 seconds someone dies from a heart attack, and every 53 seconds someone dies from a stroke.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Maine; stroke is third on that list.

That is why Farnham and AHA volunteers hope you will participate in the Bangor American Heart Walk, with registration beginning at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, at the Bangor YMCA Health and Fitness Center on Taft Road in Bangor.

Benefit sponsors and team walk participants include Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Eastern Maine Medical Center and Northeast Cardiology Associations.

Each walker who raises $100 receives thank-you prizes, and everyone is eligible to win prizes donated by local business owners. Children are welcome to participate in Halloween costumes and trick-or-treat at the water stations along the walk route.

To register or receive a team packet or walker envelope, call Farnham at 848-2888 or (800) 648-2041, Ext. 4604.

Because all tickets must be pre-sold, you should plan now to attend a benefit Halloween Dance for the Twin Towers from 7 to midnight Friday, Oct. 26, at VFW Post 885 on the Dunbar Road in Winslow.

Tickets are $10 per person and are available by calling Brenda Leighton at 872-9850 or by calling Terri Newell at 465-2145.

Tickets also are available in the lounge of the VFW Hall.

The benefit is sponsored by disc jockey “Dr. Ron” Pressey of Waterville, who is volunteering his services for the evening.

A cash bar and hors d’oeuvres will be available and the top door prize is 100 gallons of fuel oil from Irving Oil Co. Prizes also will be awarded for best costumes. Raffle items include a propane tank refill, a car battery and gift certificates at area businesses.

“All proceeds benefit the Twin Towers Fund, which is for the rescuers and their families,” Leighton said of those affected by the terrorist attacks Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center in New York City.

Although tickets must be purchased in advance, they will still be available “right up to the day of the dance,” Leighton said.

The Penquis Regional Transition Board is holding a resource fair from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, at the Bangor Civic Center.

The fair is for people between ages 18 and 24 who are moving into new life situations after their schooling. Admission is free.

The fair will feature representatives of 65 local and state agencies, educational institutions, recreational services, housing programs, physical and mental health services, legal services, community participation and other support opportunities.

Sponsored by the Penobscot Council on Transition and Northeast Case Resolution Committee, one-hour workshops will focus on job-seeking skills, experience sharing, supported living, employment, community living and educational opportunities.

Programs will be offered on legal guardianship, advocacy and how to make the transition from one life situation to the next.

For more information, call Joan Cameron, 9412-2855 or e-mail jccameron@juno.com.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.