Sunday evening concert raises funds
<p>Xolli Treble listens to the Black Lillies perform during the Sunday evening concert held at the Rex theater.</p>
THOMPSON FALLS - The Black Lillies, an americana folk country group from Knoxville Tennessee put on the last summer concert in the Rex Theater, Sunday night.
The summer concert series that took place in the Rex theater was a string of shows, which were put on to encourage the continuance of the Rex Theater and to support the Sanders County Cancer Network.
Lonna Derenburger, who has worked side-by-side with her husband Randy Roberts, organized the series of concerts for the 2015 summer. She expressed her goals of giving back to the Thompson Falls community.
“We are trying to encourage people to rent it [Rex Theater] out so that it can stay as a building for shows, we want people to come to help support.” Derenburger then said, “After all of our expenses our paid, we send the rest to Sanders County Cancer Network.”
Taken from the Sanders Country Cancer Network, it states itself as, “Cancer Network is a non-profit organization that was formed to lend support to Sanders County residents with their cancer treatments. Funds are available to assist with travel expenses, medications, prostheses, wigs or other related expenses not covered by insurance. If you wish to contribute more to this great cause, please indicate the amount below. All contributions are tax deductible and cheerfully accepted.”
The Black Lillies who put on a two hour performance for the audience left nobody still in their seat as they played an array of songs that incorporated jazz, bluegrass, rock, blues and country.
Numerous times, audience members of all ages would get up and run to the stage to move in time with the old-time string band the group would incorporate into their music. Some songs were melancholic or to a slower tune, which brought out the couples in the audience who danced together up in front of the stage.
Mady Braught, who enjoyed the show thoroughly, said, “I love this music. These guys... I just like listening to them, it’s really fun music.”
As the band played their last song, an encore was called and the band came out and played one more song for the crowd who cheered and clapped.
Derenburger said the show was, “A pretty good turnout, we were hoping for a full house, but it is a pretty good turnout.”
After playing in Thompson Falls, the next place the Black Lillies was in Kansas.