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March 20, 2009 Benefit for Oasis - Wow, what a night!

When John Tristao, lead singer for Creedence Clearwater Revisited, said he wanted to do a show for Oasis, he wasn’t just a woofin’! Friday night, March 20, the show began at Bay View Hall with the popular duo Janie & Joe, who performed original folk rock blues with a Celtic twist. Then John’s band Johnny Bulldog took the stage, and chairs were stacked out of the way to give people even more room to dance. And dance they did! It was quite a night, and over $3,200 was raised for the animals cared for by Oasis for Animals.

A lot of preparation and effort went into this event, and Oasis would like to thank Lynda McCormick for organizing it. She and her husband Richard, handled everything from the tickets and posters to creating the awesome wooden cats and dog that decorated the Hall, and working their tails to the bone all that day. They were joined by several volunteers: Shawn and Vickie Hiday, Bonnie Morrison, King Anderson, Bob Baker and Bobbie Moran, Jean and Jerry Favini and John Ball. These amazing volunteers sold tickets and merchandise, poured drinks, and set everything up and tore it all down at the end of the evening.

So many people helped make the evening a success. For weeks ahead of time, merchants sold event and raffle tickets. Our gratitude goes to Miriam’s Espresso Cafe, Colorbox Salon, South Whidbey Animal Clinic, Micromanager, and Langley Liquors for their support. Toby’s Tavern helped Oasis with the beer and wine for the event. One lucky person won a wonderful Raffle basket valued over $700, which was provided by Shawn Norden of Colorbox Salon. Dr. Bear Baker of Operation Teddy Care donated a selection of dog and cat toys, while Anastasia Hollenbach created a lovely gemstone necklace. These items were sold at our merchandise table, along with Oasis T-shirts, to raise additional funds. Thank you to all for your generous contributions!

We never knew, until we saw with our own eyes, how much work musicians put into an evening’s performance. From set-up to sound checks and rehearsal, we witnessed true professionals in action. Dave Mahoney set up an awesome sound system. Joe Reggiatore plays amazing guitar, and Janie Cribb’s voice so powerfully sang "Amazing Grace!" Johnny Bulldog belted out songs from CCR to the Beatles. One guest said "if you close your eyes, you’d swear it was Paul McCartney!" All the while, Jean Favini, Oasis’ President said over and over "Oh, my God! I can’t believe it!"

John Tristao said, "Believe it Jean, it’s for the animals, and we’ll do it again next year!"

Wow. Our most sincere THANK YOU to John Tristao and his band Johnny Bulldog, to Janie & Joe, and to the volunteers and merchants. And, to the community, for so generously supporting Oasis for Animals!