Rising Sun, Horizon, Jackson Junction and Deep River bands reunite in Waukon May 12

Original members of four local bands will be reuniting as “Bandmates, Brothers and Friends” Friday evening, May 12 from 6-10 p.m. at Goodfella’s in downtown Waukon. This benefit event features a reunion of 11 musicians from local bands including Rising Sun, Horizon, Jackson Junction and Deep River, sharing songs from the ‘50s through the ‘90s, both country and rock, from classic bands and individual artists like Elvis, the Beatles and Alabama, to name a few.

Many of the returning musicians are from Waukon including brothers Bill, Jim and John Withers, along with Gary Hesla, Bob Bechtel, Dave Dougherty, Brad Prestemon, Todd Pickett and Joel Anderson.  They will be joined by Keel Clemmens and Jamey Lideen, long-time band members over the years. Of the original 12 musicians, the late Pat Dougherty, will also be remembered during the event, with his brother, Dave, joining the band at times throughout the evening.

Bill Withers, Jr., event coordinator, shared the following, reminiscing about the history of these bands, the places they’ve played and the reason why they chose to reunite for one night as “Bandmates, Brothers and Friends,” (BBF.) He states, “For a couple of us, Joel and me, our being back together is a story 45 years old with the two of us barely having our driver’s licenses. We played drums together back in high school at Waukon. We’d do the drumline on the football field Friday night, then play at some bar or club Saturday night. These are great memories. There were too many weddings and anniversary dances to count - if you were to add our cumulative experiences, I’m guessing hundreds.  Each of those dances are packed with memories for the couples we celebrated, and the many that attended.”

“When I think about playing downtown, I’m grateful for places like Goodfella’s wanting to host, and it reminds me of the old Opera House, the old Heimer’s Super Value location and the VFW, The Rossville Store, etc. - all were wonderful spots to play and dance. Variations of BBF have played all over the tri-state area, in fact four states…large venues like the Hilton in downtown Chicago, to The Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, to the La Crosse Center. Still, our fondest memories have been the many historic opera houses and dance halls, many of which are no longer standing, with sawdust on the floors.”

“When a few of us talked about who might benefit, one thing we agreed on was how important local healthcare is, so that was easy, especially with dad’s long history as a local physician. We’re coming from as far away as Florida, Minnesota, many, many miles, all to benefit the local hospital and how it serves northeast Iowa. It will be an emotional night for dad, Dr. Bill Withers, as he approaches the age of 90.”

“The last time some of us were together was at Pat Dougherty’s funeral years ago, so having his brother, Dave, playing with us makes for a neat moment.  We’ll all remember Pat well, and Dave’s a great player himself.”

Bill concludes, “I remember being a kid and thinking, ‘How do guys like Little Dale or The Toe Tappers do it?’ Well, here we are, four decades later, and we’re getting together for one more night!”

Free-will donations will be accepted at the door and online at www.veteransmemorialhospital.com, by clicking on the ‘donate’ button at the top of the page.  PayPal, debit and credit cards are all accepted. All proceeds will benefit the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation.