Students and other local community members came out to enjoy a musical performance Friday at the St. Paul Regional High School, put on by students who wanted to make a difference.
Loserpalooza was the name of the event, which was created to showcase the musical talent of students in the local area. All of the performers were from the St. Paul area, and the majority were students at the St. Paul Regional High School.
“At first it was just a musical festival to show off the talent we have here," said Kirk Reid, a recent grad of the high school and one of the hosts of the event. “Then my brother decided to make it to support a worthy cause."
This was the second year for the musical event and last year organizer and musician Aaron Reid decided to donate the proceeds to an organization called Invisible Children, which helped youth in other countries who were forced into lives of war.
This year the Grade 12 student decided that he wanted to help out a little closer to home, which is why Reid decided that the proceeds of the event would go towards helping out the victims of the Slave Lake fires.
The event was free to attend but guests were encouraged to make a donation to help out the Slave Lake victims through Canadian Red Cross.
“I wanted to support a local cause, something we could all relate to," said Aaron Reid, performer and organizer of Loserpalooza. “We were just hoping to raise any amount of money we could present."
In the end the event was able to raise about $650, which Reid said is similar to what they were able to raise at the previous event.
“It's not just about raising money to give them material goods, but money to help them build new memories," said Reid while onstage. “That's what this is about, it's a memory for us and it's a memory for you."
Loserpalooza featured five individual performances by St. Paul Regional High School students. Performers included Brittany Gill, Josh Han, Shelby Roy, Cody Shirt and Margie Abejero. The band Deeper, which consists of Micheal Parenteau, Jaron Parenteau, John Chamberland, Aaron Reid and Tobi Akindele, put on the last performance of the evening.
“As musicians we are always looking for a way to show off our skills," said Reid, “but being able to do it in a way where we can raise money is very rewarding."
