Kentucky Just Us will be hosting a family-style benefit show on March 15 for Kentucky banjo builder and instrument repairman Arthur Hatfield, whose shop burned down last month after a propane heater ignited the building on January 10.
Arthur lost everything in the fire. All his tooling and equipment is gone, along with everything he was working on at the time. And like so many small, home-based businesses, he was not properly insured.
Bluegrass folks always pitch in to help when a member of our community is down on their luck, and that is exactly what the O’Neal family who make up the bulk of Kentucky Just Us have done. They’ve booked North Jackson Elementary School in Glasgow, KY, and will perform on March 15 along with The Dean Osborne Band to assist Arthur recover.
Admission is only $10 for the show, though additional donations will be appreciated. A spaghetti dinner will also be available for an additional fee. Mark Kuzma will MC the 6:00 p.m. event, with dinner served at 5:00.
All proceeds will go directly to Arthur as he tries to put his banjo business back together, after 40 years in operation.
Banjo pickers are requested to bring their instrument to the show, as a banjo orchestra performance of Foggy Mountain Breakdown is planned as a finale.
Further details can be obtained by calling 270-646-7559.
For those unable to attend, there is a GoFundMe campaign up to make contributions to put Hatfield Banjos back in business.
