For Immediate Release: Rockin' for Joshua Tree a Complete Sucess!!
April 30, 2008
Contact:
Donna Charpied, CCAEJ (760) 574-1887
Penny Newman, CCAEJ (951) 360-8451
David Fick. (760) 366-9862
People traveled far and wide to Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown on Earth Day weekend April 18 & 19th to support Rockin' For Joshua Tree, a campaign to protect Joshua Tree National Park and Desert Communities from a century of Los Angeles’ trash. The legendary rock star, Eric Burdon kicked off the campaign in 2000 to raise money and expand support for the battle against the dump and raise awareness to that fact that the dump, if built, would bring 40 million pounds of garbage daily for the next 100 years and deposit it on the doorstep of Joshua Tree National Park.
The entertainment was non-stop, professionally emceed by desert radio's Gary Daignault along with Julia Boyd. The music was everything from folk to rock & roll to zydego music starring THE SIN CITY ALL STARS, TIM EASTON, BOBBY GARCIA, CHRIS LATERZO & BUFFALO ROBE, THE HICKMEN, RABBITS WITH BAD HABITS, REALLYSHOOO ZYDECO, SHAWN MAFIA, THE SIBLEYS, UNHERD, and A great line up of acoustic acts included TED QUINN, CHRIS LATERZO, BARBARA BUCKLAND, VICKIE HILL, AND PAT GORMAN.
Rick Heistand and friends set up 6 telescopes with virtual reality technology and people “viewed the moon like I never have before”a thrilled high school student exclaimed. Saturday night, emcee Gary Daignault drew the winning raffle tickets for a stay at the Joshua Tree Rock House and the 29 Palms Inn. The winners are local activist Chase Morning and San Bernardino activist Susanna Negrete.
What makes this benefit concert even more special is that everybody, to borrow the line from a song, “played real good and for free”. The concert raised over $20,000.00 in ticket, Inn raffles, posters, tee shirts, art auction, donations from individuals, and in-kind donations. Our work has just begun, “we not only raised a tidy sum of money to go towards the successful Federal lawsuit that was appealed by the Government and the Polluters, we also made good contacts for the next ROCKIN' FOR JOSHUA TREE benefit event”, says Donna Charpied, one of the event's organizers.
For more info on the dump see www.ccaej.org and for more info on Rockin’ For Joshua Tree see www.rockinforjoshuatree.org hosted by CCAEJ.
Donations are needed, appreciated and tax deductible. The Law Office of Stephan Volker has done a yoeman's job of keeping LA's trash from Joshua Tree National Park and Desert Communities. Although Mr. Volker provides his services at a discounted rate due to the public interest nature of the case, the invoices do add up. Make checks payable to: CCAEJ, earmark for Eagle Mountain dump and send to:
Donna Charpied, Policy Advocate CCAEJ
PO Box 397
Desert Center CA 92239