Music Happens Project sets Gibson guitar raffle drawing Dec. 7
Th Music Happens Project is raffling off a Gibson Les Paul guitar in an effort to help raise money for local musicians.
The nonprofit organization is the brainchild of Al and Mary Knight, better known as Mary and Al Frantic, owners of Frantic Frets antiques and music shop on Route 16 outside Milton.
Valued at $7,500, the guitar is a 1959 Reissue Murphy Lab Custom Shop model with a light-aged honey burst finish. The instrument was generously donated to Music Happens by Ken Dorsney of Morris James LLP. Another local charity, Paul Kares, is sponsoring the raffle for Music Happens.
Only 250 tickets are being sold at $100 per ticket, with tickets available at Frantic Frets, 26370 Broadkill Road, Milton, and at musichappens.org. The drawing will take place at 8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7, at a sold-out event at Paul Cullen’s The Room at Cedar Grove. The winner does not need not to be present to win.
The mission of Music Happens Project is to provide subsidized services and equipment to musicians in Delaware whose main source of income is derived from live musical performances. Before the nonprofit began, a friend and local artist was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2020. At the start of the pandemic, Mary Knight pulled together a virtual concert fundraiser with help from another friend and musician, Nancy Maliwesky, along with a number of local artists and performers. The three-day event featured 21 musicians, and an online auction helped raise thousands of dollars to help with expenses that were adding up.
Music Happens will host future fundraising events like this to help provide financial aid for musicians who are facing a one-time catastrophic illness or event. There will be a vetting process, and musicians will be asked to fill out a brief application; once approved, they will be eligible for subsidies during a one-year period. The amount will be income-based and may be applied for on an annual basis.
