Treystock 9, the annual fundraising rock concert, will be held April 6 at Tiffany’s Banquet Center, 601 Bedford Road SE, Brookfield.
The event is put on by family and friends of Trey Kent Filer. When Filer was diagnosed with cancer, they organized a concert to help pay his medical bills. He later obtained medical insurance but wanted the event to continue, and the proceeds go to a number of charities in the area.
Filer died in 2015.
“One of the last things he said to me was, ‘Please keep this going,’ and I said, ‘I will,’” said Filer’s mom, Carol Wiercinski. “I just hope he’s enjoying this.”
The door will open at 5 p.m. and the music starts at 6 p.m., finishing up around midnight.
Treystock features two stages, one for adult rock bands and a second for kid and teen bands. This year’s adult acts will be Randy Velez, who also will emcee the event, the Zoo, All In, Five Deep and Radio Pulse.
The second stage will feature the Night Owls, Chicken Feet, the Rebellion, Nightshade and Longview.
Organizer Steve Dunch, a member of Five Deep, said he enjoys showcasing the kid and teen bands, because they remind him of the mentor-student relationship he had with Filer.
“Trey was older than me,” Dunch said. “I always gravitated to those who were older, because they’re already doing this.”
Treystock has given all involved the opportunity to forge new and closer relationships. Filer’s family and friends have gotten to know each other much better, and the local rock ‘n’ roll community has become more cohesive.
“I’ve been able to meet different players I might not have been able to,” Dunch said. “Now, we get to share a night together.”
Local businesses anticipate calls for donations to go into a Chinese auction, and Sandy Superak at Tiffany’s has been easy to work with, he said.
“That’s why we’ve been loyal to Tiffany’s,” he said. “It doesn’t feel right to go somewhere else.”
Still, it’s a lot of work organizing Treystock.
“Sometimes, when I get frazzled, I say, ‘This is all your (Filer’s) fault,’” Wiercinski quipped.
Admission is $10 at the door, and proceeds will go to Freedom Warriors Charitable Fund, which serves veterans in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys; Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County; AWARE, Mercer County’s rape crisis and domestic violence treatment agency; local Backpack Programs, which supply supplemental food through schools; The Herald’s Good News Fund, which provides turkeys to needy families around the holidays; and Hubbard Music’s Rock Star U, which provides music lessons and forms bands for musicians aged 5 to 16.
Treystock, which is a component fund of the Community Foundation of Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio, has raised nearly $90,000 in eight years of events.
Money also is raised through a raffle and a Chinese auction that features from 80 to 190 baskets a year. The offerings this year include two guitars, one signed by Michael Stanley. Jimmy Smith always makes a portrait of a rock ‘n’ roller that is part of the auction. Organizers were not sure who Smith was honoring this year. “He always does awesome work,” Dunch said.
Treystock also will collect canned goods for donation to the Community Food Warehouse, which serves Mercer County.
While Tiffany’s sells food and alcohol at the event, Treystock organizers said the fundraiser is a family-friendly event – despite the presence of alcohol.
Information: www.treystock.org and the Treystock Facebook and Twitter accounts.
