Contributed by Nikki Lee, The Mug-Shot Saloon
8th Annual Big ‘M’ Memorial Benefit
8/19/2017 – 12PM
The Mug-Shot Saloon, Big M Inc.
The 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 8th Annual Big ‘M’ Memorial Benefit. It is to be held on August 19th, 2017 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 the family of 13-year-old local resident, Lucas Dinsmore. Lucas was diagnosed with lymphoma at the young age of five, and after an extensive hospitalization combined with chemotherapy, was successful in beating the disease. He remained healthy for seven years. Sadly in 2016, he was diagnosed again with lymphoma. Not a relapse; he now has a completely new cancer growing. Lucas’s father, T.J., is a single parent to Lucas and younger brother, Connall. The Dinsmore family are no strangers to cancer. Not only has Lucas had two unthinkable diagnoses, but T.J.’s oldest son, Garrett, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004 (at age 3) and heartbreakingly passed away as a result. We hope to raise money to assist the Dinsmore family in whatever way we can.
The Big ‘M’ Memorial Benefit is an all-day event which attracts hundreds of people each year. In 2016, our fundraising efforts raised over $20,000; the money of which was donated to local Valley residents, Lisa and Timothy Toothaker, a mother and son both battling stage 4 cancer. 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 kids’ 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 seeking volunteers to help with both the planning of the event and those who would like to help during the event. We are also seeking donors who would like to provide goods or services to be included in our live and silent auctions.
If you have items to donate 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.
