Admittedly, turnout a week ago Saturday for a bluegrass and gospel concert at North Rowan High School wasn’t anything to write home about.
Probably fewer than 100 people showed up for the concert, with proceeds intended to raise money to send North’s players to a summer football camp at Elon University.
But Tasker Fleming, North’s football coach and the man who arranged the concerts, said he’s pleased with response to his efforts.
He said a number of people bought tickets, but opted not to attend because of prior engagements. Other residents of Spencer and surrounding communities dropped off donations at the school after reading that Fleming was trying to send upwards of 40 of his football players to camp this summer, and cash was short.
“I learned that if you communicate a need, people step up and help,” Fleming said. “A lot of people told me it never crossed their minds the expense of sending kids to a football camp.”
The weeklong camp costs $200 per player, big money for a lot of North’s students who come from single-parent homes. Fleming and other members of his staff assist players as best they can, helping pay for everything from camp to cleats.
But a handful of people can only do so much. And high school coaches ain’t in their jobs for the money.
So Fleming, entering his second year of coaching at North, conceived the idea of the concerts. Russell Johnson, one of Fleming’s friends from his days at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the lead singer for The Grass Cats, apparently one of the better bluegrass bands around.
Johnson and The Grass Cats performed at a discount, as did Second Chance, the other band, a gospel group.
Neither band disappointed. Rodney Bass, North’s principal, said he heard from several members of his staff who were on hand for all or part of the concerts.
“They told me, ‘My goodness, these guys can play,’ ” Bass recalled.
Good music, good cause.
Fleming said he feels a week spent at a camp is an important thing for a high school kid, and for reasons that go far beyond athletics. Seeing that the world doesn’t begin and end at the Spencer town limits is important, Fleming said, and having a college coach remind a teen that grades do matter can have a big influence on a young person’s study habits.
Fleming said he took a number of his players to a football game at Duke last fall, and several of the boys were in awe of a campus they’d seen and heard about on TV, but had never witnessed firsthand.
Fleming said that not long ago, the budget to help pay for his team’s trip to football camp was zero. Now, thanks to a series of fundraisers, they’ve got between $1,600 and $1,800 in the bank. Fleming said he’s been told the boosters club at North plans another donation.
Fleming admitted he knew next to nothing about arranging a concert when he decided to tackle the show. It’s good to hear the concert isn’t going to cost him.
It’s even better to hear that residents are willing to throw their support to a good guy, pushing a good cause.
Contact Steve Huffman at shuffman@salisburypost.com