Founded in 1989, Hope House Mission serves homeless men, women and children and Butler, Warren, and the surrounding counties in Southwest Ohio. Funds raised from this year’s event will be earmarked for the Hope House Mission – Women’s Shelter.
“We do what we can, and this gives us an opportunity to draw attention to them, to help people understand that they exist, and they are here for people who need the help, and it just feels good for us to do it. All of the musicians enjoy doing it, and I know they appreciate it when I walk in there with a check,” Evans said.
The Hope House Mission does a lot more than house the homeless, he said, they also do job training, focus on education and health, and teach life skills.
The “Blue Christmas” concert begins at 6 p.m.. Sunday, Dec. 17. General admission tickets are $25. To purchase tickets or make a one-time donation to Hope House, go to https://thewindamere.ticketspice.com/blue-christmas.
“It’s always a great night of amazing music. Everybody brings it. They come and they play like they really mean it. All these bands do that any time they play, but they come out and they donate their time and talents to raise funds for the Hope House. Everybody in this show is volunteering,” Evans said. “And anybody who likes blues, jazz, and rock is in for a treat.”
Performers are veteran musicians putting on an evening of blues, blues-based rock and jazz music. The lineup has Fred Gillespie and The Swamp Bees, I Dig Pig featuring Jimmy D. Rogers, Chuck Evans and Tom Martin, The Gillespie Express with Ferris Gillespie and James Clark, Rob Hoffman & the L7s and other special guests. Each band or group will play for about an hour.
Gregg Clark, who passed away in 2019, started the event in 1991 to help the Hope House Mission. Clark was the original chair, and a regular player at the annual event. He was also a leader in several bands, including the Royal Blues and the Gregg Clark Group. Additionally, he was instrumental part of the Lebanon Blues Festival. Clark was a 1971 graduate of Middletown High School.
How to go
What: Blue Christmas concert to benefit Hope House Mission – Women’s Shelter
When: 6-11 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17
Where: The Windamere, 2 S. Main St., Middletown
Online: www.hhmission.org
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