If you’re ready to rock this weekend, make a stop at New Oxford High School.
We learned that the school’s auditorium is going to be the venue for the Rock for Angels concert, a five-band show that will donate all of its proceeds to the families of five teens lost in a devastating car accident this past December.
The concert will kickoff at 5:30 p.m., with doors opening at 4:30 p.m., and tickets are $15 
for adults and $5 for students with proper I.D. Tickets can be picked up at the high school office this week, or at Reader’s Cafe in Hanover, and they will also be sold at the concert.
The organizers say it’s a show for all kind of rock fans and music fans, with the bands Quiet Life Rebellion, Boomers, Strive and Trailer Park Cowboys joining headliners Smokin’ Gunnz to play a mix of everything from contemporary rock, to southern rock, to rockabilly (I’m still not sure what that is, but I’m going to Google it soon).
And what’s more, the concert will be a chance to reflect once again on the five lives lost that day, to keep the promise of remembering them, always. There will be memorial tributes and a few words shared from those who knew the students well.
Those students – Diego Aguilar, Oscar Banda, Anthony Campos, Chelsea McFalls and Casey Sheridan – were kids that Gardy Lawrence didn’t see in his office, the recently retired assistant principal of New Oxford High School said.
But he was close with some of their families, he saw the students in the school’s hallways and on the soccer field. And he knew they were good kids.
As I talked with him about the concert and the goal of helping the students’ families, he told me that joining the lineup with his band, Boomers, was a no-brainer. The four local bands all have ties to New Oxford High School, with some band members being graduates of the high school and others being former or current employees of the school.
Alll of the bands love to play and perform, but more importantly, all of them wanted to show their support.
“It’s a good opportunity to support those families – that’s number one,” Lawrence told me. “Number two, I think you have five quality bands contributing time to that cause and it would good to have people out to rally around those families one more time.”
I couldn’t agree more. I love to see that the fundraisers started the day after the accident have continued in New Oxford and the surrounding area. It never fails to amaze me how this community looks out for its own, when it matters most.
I will never forget being at the accident, or witnessing the candlelight vigil that followed the next day. And I will never forget that even in the worst situations, in terrible loss, there is comfort. It comes from other people, from those who help us try to pick up the pieces. It makes this life a sweet and stirring song – a rock song, this weekend.