Contributed by Nikki Lee
9th Annual Big ‘M’ Memorial Benefit
8/18/2018 – 12PM
Big ‘M’ Inc., Mug-Shot Saloon
Mug-Shot Saloon
251 W Parks Hwy. Wasilla
FREE Admission, Donations Accepted
The Mug-Shot Saloon and Big ‘M’ Inc. are excited to announce our 9th Annual Big ‘M’ Memorial Benefit, to be held on Saturday, August 18th, from 12pm-10pm, at the Mug-Shot Saloon, located at 251 W. Parks Hwy in Wasilla.
This inspiring annual event was created in honor of Marilyn Anderson, commemorating her lifetime of commitment to helping her neighbors, friends and patrons in times of need. Joining forces with Valley businesses, entertainers, friends and patrons creates a powerful combination of resources, generosity and enthusiasm, which has proven to generate amazing results at previous events.
The proceeds of this year’s event will be donated to Palmer resident, Joe Trost, a lifelong Alaskan who was recently diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called, Acute T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma. Mr. Trost and his wife Melanie, along with their two children, are currently in Seattle where Joe is undergoing intensive, life-saving treatment. Insurance does not even begin to cover the exorbitant costs associated with cancer treatment, and we hope to raise money to assist the family in whatever way we can.
The Big ‘M’ Memorial Benefit is an all-day event which attracts hundreds of people each year; in 2017, our fundraising efforts raised over $20,000, the money of which was donated to the family of 13-year-old local resident Lucas Dinsmore to aid in his fight against lymphoma. This all-day event will include a multi-prize raffle, live and silent auctions, live music on an outdoor stage and acoustic acts on our indoor stage, a vendor area, a potluck style meal and a dunk tank. There will also be a fully-supervised kid’s area complete with a bounce house, face painting and carnival style games!
Our intent is to reach a wide variety of people: artists, musicians, all types of vendors, politicians, organizations, community groups, persons or businesses with auction item donations; there really is no limit to who can get involved, or how.
We tend to be able to draw a crowd, have a lot of fun and do a lot of good; we hope that inviting the community to join us in this endeavor is a mutually beneficial scenario. We would like to invite you to be a part of the effort this year.
We are currently seeking donors who would like to provide goods or services to be included in our live and silent auctions, as well those interested in signing up as a vendor. We are also looking for bands and musical acts that would like to donate their time to play on either our outdoor or indoor acoustic stage.
If you have items to donate, would like information on becoming a vendor, providing musical entertainment or would like to be involved in any capacity, please contact us at mugshotak@gmail.com, or by calling our office at 907-376-1638.
