Spring Break
WHYS will hold 'Eau Claire's Shortest Sidewalk Parade' Saturday
Rob Peterson
Issue date: 3/15/07 Section: Campus News
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This Saturday, WHYS 96.3 FM is holding its first annual St. Patrick's Day Fundraiser. The event kicks off with a live performance by Demolition Darby and an Irish heritage parade, dubbed "Eau Claire's Shortest Sidewalk Parade," starting at WHYS Radio, 405 S. Farwell St. and finishing at the Acoustic Café, 505 S. Barstow St.
If you don't have a map in front of you, the parade will travel a grand total of two blocks so the distance won't be nearly as tiring as last week's Shamrock Shuffle. After the short walk to Acoustic, numerous Irish bands (Demolition Darby and The Barnyard Banshees, among others) will perform.
Ben Johnson, promotions and fundraising director for WHYS, said the idea was to make their fundraiser as family-friendly as possible.
"We were looking for something fun to do…something for the whole family," Johnson said. "Why should we have to go to a big city (for a parade)? We have one right here."
For those unfamiliar to the radio station, WHYS is Eau Claire's independent radio source and is approaching its second anniversary late next month. Johnson guesses that nearly 70 percent of their programming is locally produced.
"I believe it's extremely important to keep everything local (when) corporations like Clear Channel are monopolizing the airwaves," he said.
Even though WHYS tailors to the local community and hosts the city's only Hmong music and news radio programming, the station is still independent and requires public support. Johnson said a lot of its equipment has been donated and is in need of repairs and upgrades. He also said WHYS holds "rent parties" to do just that - fundraise to make the rent.
"We (WHYS) are here to serve the community, the downtown area…as well as the UW-Eau Claire," Johnson said. "I think we meet the diverse needs of Eau Claire, and we need support to continue to do (so)."
There is a suggested individual donation of $5 ($10 for a family) for the musical performances at Acoustic. For more information, call WHYS at (715) 831-9497 or visit its Web site at www.whysradio.org.
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