Help Harrisburg Fundraiser: A Southern Illinois Rallies for Tornado Recovery

On February 29, a tornado swept through Southern Illinois and devastated local communities, especially Harrisburg. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, hundreds of people were injured, and eight people died. Despite the widespread devastation and contrary to all common sense, the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied funds to the region, making a horrible situation even worse.

To help rebuild the community, a benefit full of wine, food, and music will take place Sunday, July 15 at Von Jakob Orchard in Alto Pass.

“It is a big group effort that we are doing, so there's a lot of people involved in it,” Dalice Torres, one of organizers, told Nightlife. “We are having music from noon to 7 p.m. We're going to have the Jerry Ford Orchestra and the Phonics both play. They are going to ask for a $10 cover fee to get in, and then all the proceeds that we get from all the activities throughout the day will go directly to Harrisburg....

“We are actually expecting a good turnout and hoping for an amazing turnout because the more people that come out, the more we will be able to help these people that are in need,” Torres continued. “We just started talking about how we could give back. The owners [of Von Jakob, Paul and Rhoda Jacobs] are amazing people that like to give back to the community, and they came up with this idea to try to help these people.”

who: Jerry Ford Orchestra / Phonics

what: Harrisburg tornado benefit

where: Von Jakob Orchard

when: Sunday, July 15