Mules at Lahaina Benefit make the 10:00 News!
The Lahaina fires had disappeared from the headlines, but The Rotary Club of Novato (RCN) and The Rotary Club of Novato Sunrise (RCNS) knew that the victims there were just beginning to rebuild their community, their homes and their lives. So the two clubs decided to join forces to sponsor a week-long fund-raising event and enlist a different restaurant each night to donate a percentage of their receipts to Rotary’s Maui fire relief fund. Judy Johnson is the president of RCNS, and one of her first calls was to the Mules to find out their availability for the week. When she learned that the band was only free that Wednesday, her club went to work lining up Blazers Smokehouse, the Mules’ favorite Novato venue, for the Wednesday night slot. Then both clubs got busy filling in the other venues to complete the 7 Nights-7 Restaurants schedule for what would become the Heart for Lahaina / Dine and Donate Benefit.
Blazers owner Keri Hendricks concocted a sumptuous luau menu special for the occasion. The highlight was a 50-pound roast pig, which was a big hit with what had to be one of their biggest Wednesday night crowds ever. Some of their beer distributors even chipped in an additional donation for each beer sold that night. The Mules, who donated their time and tips, were firing on all cylinders and quickly got the near-capacity crowd revved up. When they finally took their first break, the show didn’t slow down for a moment – Judy had enlisted her old hula dance group, Hale Aloha, to perform a program of authentic Hawaiian dances. The 7-woman group, led by Nan Watanabe, brought the house down [and also performed at two of the other restaurants that week.]
As the evening was starting to wind down, a cameraman from KTVU Channel 2 appeared and shot footage that made the 10:00 news and the next day’s “Mornings on 2” show. Besides capturing a few moments from a very special night, the news segments also provided some excellent publicity for the event’s next four evenings.
“The response was awesome, more than I anticipated,” said Keri. “The community really came together and gave back to the tremendous cause in Maui.” All of the Mules were very happy to have been a part of the event and to have played our small part in helping to raise funds to help rebuild Lahaina. Dick, the Mules keyboardist, has a cousin-in-law in Lahaina, so the fires especially hit home for him. “Actually,” said Dick, “Maui is such a special place that I think the tragedy really hit home for just about anyone who’s ever been there.” The best news was that, thanks to everyone who participated, the 7-night/7-restaurant event raised over $5,600 that is now on its way to Maui to help with the recovery there. Mahalo!