Concert to Help Rebuild Highlands Jan. 20 at Count Basie Theatre

296

HIGHLANDS – The Hope for Highlands concert will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, at the Count Basie Theatre on Monmouth Street in Red Bank.
The concert is being presented by Brian Kirk and will feature the G Band, Pat Guadagno, Jukebox Criminals and Brian Kirk and the Jirks.
Bob Small has donated the cost of the Count Basie Theatre so that 100 percent of all ticket sales are going toward Hope For Highlands. Small has organized a charity to provide residents with a direct, local channel for aid.
“The needs of the High­lands community are immediate and will continue for quite some time,” Small said,
“Like the rest of these small towns up and down my beloved Jersey Shore, the devastation to Highlands is no different,” Brian Kirk said. “My idea is to bring in musical acts that perform often in this town and give them a larger stage to present their talent while raising money for the place they love.”
Highlands has been devastated with severe damages to more than 1,200 of its 1,500 downtown homes and almost all of its businesses. High­lands, the first stop on the Jersey Shore, is known for its spectacular restaurants, Sandy Hook, Historic Twin Lights and its fishing and clamming industry.
The loss of these homes and businesses has had a ripple effect on the community beyond the norm because many of the residents worked and lived in the town. An economically challenged town before the storm, this community is now faced with not only the loss of their homes but many have also lost their jobs.
The money raised will be administered by Hope for Highlands, set up through the non-profit Highlands Busi­ness Partnership under the direction of Mayor Frank Nolan and Councilwoman Rebecca Kane, the organization’s liaison.
The effort was designed to have donations go directly to the people and businesses in Highlands that need it most, said Rick Korn, the Hope for Highlands committee chair.
Highlands residents are eager to return home and Hope for Highlands has already begun providing goods and services needed to expedite the process.
Reimbursement checks will soon be distributed for qualified applicants who produce paid receipts and plan to return home. Business merchants and restaurants are working diligently to reopen and get the residents back to work.
There are presently nine of the severely damaged businesses that have been able to reopen, but there is many more to go.
Tickets are $35. All concert proceeds will directly benefit Highlands residents and businesses.
Additional information is available by visiting www. highlandsnj.com or calling 732-291-4713.