The gift of music

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

Nonprofit organization Music Bridges Borders will welcome the community to its sixth annual Local Artists Showcase highlighting the talents of 12 Sandpoint-based groups and solo musicians beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 6. Organizers hope to give back to the community that offers them so much support with this free, all-day event outside the Heartwood Center (615 Oak St., Sandpoint).

“Come down and enjoy the music and relax. It’s going to be a beautiful day, so come see what the musicians in Sandpoint have to offer — they’ve got a lot to give,” said volunteer Rick Reed, who founded the organization along with his wife Elinor.

Past Music Bridges Borders participants perform with fellow members of the Spokane Youth Symphony. Courtesy photo.

The musical extravaganza will promote local musicians and artisans selling jewelry, crafts, art and books. Businesses and community sponsors have also donated prizes for a silent auction, including tequila, handmade goods sourced from Mexico and gift certificates to local businesses like Evans Brothers Coffee and The Little Christmas Store.

All proceeds spent on food and drinks, as well as at the event’s silent auction, will go directly to the nonprofit to offset the cost of the showcase. Any excess funds will go toward the organization’s free music camp, which runs from July 29 through August 1.

This year, Music Bridges Borders will sponsor eight students who will travel from Mexico to teach approximately 50 Sandpoint students before participating in the Spokane Youth Symphony’s summer music camp in early August. The students will give free performances throughout Sandpoint in July and August, including at the First Presbyterian Church (417 N. Fourth Ave.) on Saturday, July 27.

“Everything we do is free and all our events are heartwarming. Nothing else in Sandpoint is free — everything else you have to pay a ton of money,” Reed said. “We have a number of children who would otherwise never get an instrument in their hands.”

Carys Perilloux will kick off the July 6 show at 11:30 a.m. with piano solos, followed by the Sandpoint Old Time Fiddlers group. Murry Butler and the L&M Review will share the stage with the Fiddlers until Noelle Bastow and the Sandpoint Violin School take over.

The day will also include performances by Natalie Miller, Sarah Kugle, Chris Paradis, Max Reed, Buster Brown and the Karen Atkins trio, with a dance party featuring Accidental Harmonies Contra Dance Band. Local favorite John Firshi will bring it home at 6:15 p.m., ending the evening with soulful blues.

“We’re just really lucky to have the people we have involved, and the businesses that donate for the silent auction are a huge help. It’s definitely a community project with people coming up and saying, ‘What can I do?’” said Reed.

Bring low-backed lawn chairs and blankets, kick up your feet and enjoy music from Sandpoint’s most talented individuals while supporting an organization that promotes music and cultural exchange in the community. For more information, visit facebook.com/musicbridgesborders/.

“It’s like a gift to the community that does so much for us. It’s our way of saying ‘Thank you’ and celebrating these wonderful artists that we have in our midst,” said Reed.