RIPLEY — A pair of local groups are organizing a benefit concert to help raise money for flood victims in Ripley.

Eric Penn of EasyGiggs Productions and Harry Hutchinson of Friends Helping Friends addressed Ripley Village Council on Aug. 11 to discuss their concert plans and the big fundraiser surrounding it.

The event is being called the Ripley Flood Relief Concert, and it’s set to take place from noon- through 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29, on Main Street in Ripley. Taylor Shannon, Black Mountain Throwdown, The Bad Feather Band, The Kevin McCoy Band, and Big Easy and the Gators featuring the Unfinished Business Band will all take the stage at some point in the afternoon and evening.

“We decided to collectively reach out to people that we knew in the entertainment field, reach out to people that we knew would help us, and we came up with the Ripley Flood Relief Concert,” Penn said.

Penn added that 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards victims of the deadly floods that ravaged the Stringtown area of Ripley in Union Township. He and Hutchinson said they were not taking a dime from any of the proceeds.

The event organizers are charging $5 per adult, and children under 10-years old can enter free, according to the event’s website. Items that have been donated will be raffled off, with both the gate and raffle proceeds going towards flood victims.

“All that money goes to the relief fund,” Penn reiterated.

“One hundred percent of this money goes to the families that have been devastated by this. Me and (Eric) took a trip up (to Stringtown) and started asking questions, and we didn’t realize how many families (the floods) did affect,” Hutchinson said.

Penn said that instead of putting the proceeds in the bank, he’d prefer to give the affected families the cash the Monday following the event.

“Everything is going to be divided up equally among every family that was affected,” Penn said.

Penn added that there will be a pie and cake auction, and there will be a kids entertainment area to keep the children entertained.

Riplay Village Council was receptive to the event.

The event comes one week after the Ohio Rural Heritage Festival takes place in Ripley.

Eric Penn of EasyGiggs Productions addresses Ripley Village Council to talk about the Ripley Flood Relief Concert.
https://www.ripleybee.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_ConcertGuy-DanielKarell-.jpgEric Penn of EasyGiggs Productions addresses Ripley Village Council to talk about the Ripley Flood Relief Concert.
Benefit event gets blessing of Village Council

By Daniel Karell

dkarell@civitasmedia.com