All Hallows Farm plans benefit for bombing victim
The owners of All Hallows Farm in Georgetown are reaching out to help one of the Boston Marathon bombing victims. Erika Brannock, a teacher at Trinity Episcopal Children's Center in Towson, Md., is recovering from traumatic injuries that included amputation of her left leg below the knee. Her right leg was also severely injured.
All Hallows Farm will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 18, with $3 from every admission going to the Erika Brannock Fund, established to assist her with long-term medical and living expenses. Donations will also be accepted that day.
Brian Turner, park manager, said he and his wife, Maria, know Brannock, who is a roommate of a long-time friend.
“We've heard about Erika, and the day of the bombings we knew she was up there,” he said. “Then we heard the terrible news the next day.”
He said Brannock is expected to be hospitalized for at least a couple of months as she undergoes a series of surgeries, including a nine-hour surgery this week.
A 29-year-old preschool teacher of 2-year-olds, Brannock was critically injured April 15 as she waited near the finish line with her sister and brother-in-law, Nicole and Michael Gross, for her mother, Carol Downing, to finish the race. She is one of a dozen people whose limbs were amputated because of their wounds.
Three people died and more than 180 people were injured by the explosions on Boylston Street in downtown Boston. Brannnock's sister suffered a broken left leg and other injuries. Her brother-in-law received lacerations and burns but was spared the brunt of the blasts when he moved away to set up to take a photograph of his mother-in-law when she crossed the finish line.
Brannock was among the first people to arrive at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the same hospital where bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken.
Turner said as Brannock's mother neared the finish line, she heard the blasts and knew her family was waiting for her. “Her mom came up on it, and not being able to find your family had to be the worst thing,” he said.
All Hallows Farm – open on weekends from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. – is located at Sports at the Beach off Route 9 near Georgetown. Among All Hallows Farm features are a petting zoo, large playground area, two trains, racing pigs, inflatables, a shooting gallery, carnival games, gem mining and a large jumping pillow. For more information on the fundraiser, contact Brian Turner at 302-604-2739. The website is www.thebrannockfund.com. Donations can also be mailed to The Erika Brannock Fund, PO Box 828, Sparks, MD, 21152.
