brucefest.com
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WHAT IS BRUCEFEST?
BRUCEFEST is an annual charity one-day music festival held at The Tsintzinian Society - aka - The Greek Club in Celoron, New York. Its purpose is to celebrate the life of "the late great guitar slinger extraordinaire" Bruce Peterson of Celoron, who passed away June 9, 2003, due to complications of pancreatic cancer. BRUCEFEST is the main fund raiser for The Bruce Peterson Memorial Fund, which raises money and then turns it over to local charities and individuals in need. The Bruce Peterson Memorial Fund is currently in the process of filing proper documentation the government requires to become a recognized not-for-profit organization. The B.P.M.F. crew consists of family members and friends, new and old, of Bruce.
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HERE’S HOW IT ALL STARTED:
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Bruce was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April of 2003. A group of all sorts of his friends organized a benefit / jamboree / motorcycle run with proceeds to help Bruce and his family. The date was June 8. A record was set, as to the best of anyone’s knowledge, in terms of the most money raised in these parts for this type of fund raiser. It was truly a day of people coming together with nothing but love in their hearts for their friend Bruce. The following day, Bruce died, and as ill as he was, he didn’t want to disappoint anyone on that special Sunday. He left this life feeling lucky and blessed and touched by the kindnesses extended to him and his family throughout his illness, and felt that he had crammed more into forty-seven years than most people do in ninety.
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A LITTLE HISTORY:
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After some time had passed and some healing had begun, the people involved in the 2003 benefit got to thinking and talking about doing it again, only this time raising money for charities. After all, Bruce was one hell of a man, and it was one hell of a party! At this point, Bruce’s wife Marcy, daughter Jennifer, and son Jason got into the mix. The thoughts of the group were simple. Have a day where people come together to remember their friend, and raise funds for good local causes. Throw in a motorcycle run, live music all day, good food, good people, fun stuff for the kids, and also a whole bunch of beer (the format of the day will essentially remain the same) , and the group was off to the races, so to speak. And while the loss of Bruce remains, those involved find comfort in being together planning this, and throwing one hell of a party to honor him.
The culmination of these efforts resulted in The Bruce Peterson Memorial Fund’s first annual fund raiser. The day’s donations totaled $4,150 to The Infinity Performing Arts Program, The HUGO FUND, and Hospice Bereavement. Also, from that time until early Spring, another $850 in smaller amounts were given to individuals / families in need due to illness or other difficult circumstances.
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A LITTLE MORE HISTORY:
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Winter rolled around and the crew began to meet again. There is a continuous improvement philosophy within the group, and it was decided that, pending approval from local government, it was time to take the music outside. Why cram everyone into the clubhouse when there are beautiful grounds at Tsintzinia, and June weather should be decent enough, shouldn’t it? The word on the streets was BRUCEFEST, so that’s what the Sunday before Father’s Day will be called from here on out. To bring a bigger and better party, a spaghetti dinner was held at Doo Dah’s Tavern in Busti to raise money for expenses. A great time was had by all, and it provided a much needed financial boost to get on with BRUCEFEST!
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SOMETHING NOTABLE HERE:
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At the heart of all of this is love and friendship for Bruce, and that’s why everyone continues to work so hard at this. Beyond that, bonds have been formed within this bunch that cement all of them together in a very special way, much like a family. Additional bonuses in the form of new friendships take place as well. This year The Mojo Hand Blues Band and Salamanca Beverage only confirm this. Very special thanks go out to them for all they have done to help out this year.
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VERY RECENT HISTORY:
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BRUCEFEST 2005 took place on June 12. Donations totaling $3,850 have been made to The Infinity Performing Arts Program (this program will be a recipient for years to come), Jamestown’s 107.9 WRFA lp, and Celoron Fire Department, with smaller donations to individuals (those names are not publicized for privacy reasons).
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LOOKING AHEAD:
Sunday March 10, 2007 will be our spaghetti dinner fund raiser.
Saturday, June 9, 2007 - BRUCEFEST 2007
AS LONG AS YOU KEEP SHOWING UP, WE’LL KEEP DOING THIS!
"Late great guitar slinger extraordinaire"
- Tom Barnes - Mojo Hand Blues Band
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