Dance For Irene
by Nancy Wood,
November 17, 2011, page 15.....

Marty Steady is organizing a benefit dance at The Old Lantern on December 2 to raise money to help those who were affected by Tropical Storm Irene. Two bands, The Galaxies/Take Two and The Hitmen, will play, and there will be a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, free finger food and a cash bar. All of the proceeds will go to the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.
Marty and her husband, Bill, live in Ferrisburg. They volunteered to help with clean up in Waterbury after Tropical Storm Irene. She said, “We helped clear out garages, basements, and tear down walls of homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Irene. I also filled the back of our pickup with supplies donated from area merchants for the clean up and brought them up. Some merchants donated food and we made potato and macaroni salads, put them in individual containers that filled seven coolers and gave them out to volunteers.” 
Marty said she couldn’t get the pictures of the devastation out of her mind. “I knew that the money from FEMA and insurance – if the home owners had any – wouldn’t cover everything these families needed. So, I decided to do a fundraiser.” She found out about the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund and that all the money donated to them goes to Vermonters across the State to help them with rebuilding after FEMA and insurance. She contacted area bands, The Galaxies/Take Two and The Hitmen, who, she said, “didn’t hesitate to jump on board.” She arranged for a date at The Old Lantern that worked for both bands.
Other pieces began to fall into place. She made contact, through her physical therapist, with two Vergennes restaurant owners who had wanted to do something to help and who thought this was perfect. Matt Birong of Three Squares Cafe and Eon from The Antidote offered to prepare and donate the finger foods for the event. Whispering Pines Campground paid to have the posters done, and they were printed at Precision Print and Copy in Vergennes. Marty and her sister have been distributing them by hand. Marty explained, “The background of the poster is the area that Irene hit and at the bottom of the page is the date, and time it hit.”
The Texas Roadhouse is providing linens, plates, silverware and napkins, and Tina Wilder from Duxbury (Marty’s former boss) is making and donating centerpieces for the tables. Marty said, “I owe so much to all of these people who believe in this cause and have stepped forward to make it happen. All we need now is help with publicity and people buying tickets.”
The Hurricane Irene Benefit Dance is from 7-11 p.m. at The Old Lantern on Saturday, December 2. Tickets are $27 in advance from the Flynn Box office at 863-5966 or flynntix.org. The price is $35 at the door. For more information, or if you would like to offer to help, contact Marty Steady at calamityjane53@yahoo.com.