Reel Aid 2009

[Phil Lilley]

Reel Aid 2009 is a concert benefitting Reel Recovery, Casting for Recovery and Project Healing Waters. It is to be held on Friday August 7, 2009 at Minglewood Hall in Memphis, Tennessee. The doors open at 5:00 PM and the concert begins at 6:00 PM. It is scheduled to continue until 11:00 PM. Tickets are $15.00 in advance or $18.00 at the door. You can obtain your tickets at http://www.minglewoodhall.com .

The organizations that the concert benefit all use fly fishing to heal the body and the soul. I am much more familiar with two of them, Casting for Recovery and Project Healing Waters. Casting for Recovery is an organization dedicated to rehabilitating breast cancer survivors by introducing them to fly fishing. My wife, Lori, and I have been volunteer guides for their annual outing at the Bull Shoals Catch and Release area. We have seen first hand how it can have a positive impact on these ladies lives.

As a Viet Nam veteran, the program that touches me deeply is Project Healing Waters. This is designed to rehabilitate soldiers that have been injured in Afghanistan and Iraq. I was never wounded but I spent two months in Camp Zama Army Hospital in Japan recuperating from a bout of hepatitis, so I have a lot of empathy for these guys. My brother, Dan, has spent a lot of time teaching them to cast a fly rod and tie flies. I spent several days with them last year guiding them on the White River and Dry Run Creek. I have seen first hand how much this program means to them.

I have no direct contact with Reel Recovery, a project that uses fly fishing to rehabilitate male cancer survivors. I do know guys that have participated in the program and others that assisted in it either from fund raising or actually assisting participants in the program. Every one of them felt like they gained a lot from it.

The goal of Reel Aid is to raise money to help people in the Mid-South attend Reel Recovery, Casting for Recovery & Project Healing Waters' fly fishing retreats for cancer patients and rehabilitating military. This means that the proceeds of this concert will directly benefit people in this area.

My former home town, Memphis, is a hot bed of music. After all, this is where Elvis got started. They have lined up a stellar list of local bands to provide the entertainment. The bands are Inner 61, the Dirt Brothers, The Jeff Scheetz Band and Gabby Johnson.

Inner 61 is a combination of powerful vocals, great bass, dual guitars and powerful drums. Their first album, Nothing Personal, has garnered critical acclaim and the band toured the United States from Key West to Los Angeles to support it. Their new single, This Time, is getting some play time and promises things to come. They are working on a new album and preparing to hit the road again. Catch them at this concert.

The Dirt Brothers are a cross between southern rock and country. They are a high energy southern country band that must be seen and heard to be believed. Their CD, Rocking ur Country has been well received and is like attending a live show. They consider themselves a bunch of country rebels with a heart of Rock and Roll.

The Jeff Scheetz consists of Jeff Scheetz, Matt Waddill and Kent Burnham. Jeff Scheetz is a guitarist and song writer. He is known internationally for his many instrumental CDs. Mat Waddill is the lead vocalist, bass player and co writer for the band. Kent Burnham is the talented drummer. Together the have a bluesy rock sound with a bit of funk that is not to be missed.

Gabby Johnson is a band made up of four long time friends that have been playing rock music for over ten years. They have put out four CDs, Walking Out, 129, Been So Long and Life. They have quite a following and have toured extensively.

In addition to music there will be a raffle and silent auction. There is a wide variety of quality merchandise available. There is a Winston nine foot four weight Boron rod and a Ross limited edition pink “Reel in a Cure” fly fishing outfit. There are two sporting prints donated by the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation and signed by former governor, Mike Huckabee. If you are interested in a guided fishing trip there are several that have been donated by local guides. I also noticed several other fly rods, a vest and a fly line. If you are not interested in fishing tackle, there is some hand made jewelry and pottery and other items too numerous to mention here. If you want to look at the complete list or just get some additional information on the concert, go to http://www.reelaid.com .

I am also going to be involved. They asked me to emcee the concert. I have no experience at it but I believe in the project and want to do something to help. This whole thing was put together by Robin Lambert with a bunch of assistance from her husband Barry and a solid cadre of volunteers. Kudos are well deserved for Robin and Barry.

If you want to see a great concert and help some worthy fly fishing organizations in this area please check out Reel Aid 2009. I will be there. Stop by and say hello!

John Berry (870) 435-2169 berrybrothers@infodash.com http://berrybrothersguides.com

[Zack Hoyt]

Thanks for the post Phil and thanks to John for helping.

All three organizations are great and really show the benfit that being in the outdoors has int eh recovery process. I am personally involved in Reel Recovery and PHW and have enjoyed every second of both.

Robin has done a killer job putting the concert together. There are some outstanding items in teh raffle/silent auction as well as the killer music. I regret not being able to make the concert, but know it would be well worth the money.