The Toys for Tots 2021 Concert marks the 8th time that Gerry and the Dreambenders have brought together many in the Treasure Valley (and even beyond!) to help the US Marine Corps with their quest to make sure that no child has a Christmas without presents. This also marks the 6th time that the Riverside Hotel has partnered in with Gerry and the Dreambenders and the USMC to provide the Sapphire Room for the venue for this wonderful charity event.
Mike Wallace, frontman for Gerry and the Dreambenders, told the Boise Beat why he has put such emphasis into helping Toys for Tots, year after year. Mike explained, “The thing for me is; I’m a dad. I wasn’t as concerned about Christmas before I became a dad. Christmas can be a very hard time for a dad who is struggling to make ends meet. I don’t think there’s anything that makes a dad feel as helpless as having Christmas coming; it’s not just that you can’t get something for your kids and give them the Christmas you want them to have. You know after the Christmas break they’ll be going back to school; and all their friends will say “Whaddaya get? What did you get?” ; and knowing your kid is going to maybe lie, to protect you from them from saying that they didn’t have a good Xmas. And that’s a helpless feeling, as sad for the parents as it is for the kid. The mother or father often can’t buy anything for the kids”.
“I don’t have a lot of other ways to try to help that, so the band gives a platform to help with that. It’s fortunate that we have the help of the wonderful people of the Riverside Hotel; and of course the Marine Corps who have taken care of a lot of gifts for the past eight years. We didn’t have a place to have our event; the other place was kind of falling apart, and the Riverside Hotel stepped up and said we could have it right there; and it’s been a wonderful partnership ever since. We really could not have had as successful a partnership had it not been held there. It’s been wonderful for us! This is number 6 of 8 that have been held in partnership with the Riverside.
Some of our musician friends had suggested the Sapphire Room at the Riverside Hotel. They took me down to meet Lynda Johnson, the owner; and it was an immediate connection. I didn’t feel like I was meeting someone new for the first time; she seemed like a friend that I’d met long ago, and it’s been one of the most rewarding partnerships I’ve ever been part of. They seem to not mind the intrusion once a year!”.
This concert marks an important milestone for the Toys for Tots 2021 Concert. 2020 was a dark year, with no concerts at Christmastime. However, that did not stop Gerry and the Dreambenders, the Riverside Hotel and the United States Marine Corps. Mike said, “ It surprises me, frankly; in a good way, that people contribute the way they do. Last year, for example—we knew we weren’t going to have a music event, because of the COVID scare. So instead of a music event and entertainment, with interaction with audience members. Like something you look forward to on this night where you get dressed up, go out on the town etc. Instead of that, it just was going to be an international emailing; and me driving around, doing whatever I could to drum up interest. I was very pessimistic how last year’s Toys for Tots show would go. And we almost did as well last year as we did the year before! It was a very successful event. You could have knocked me over with a feather, that it went that well”.
Mike continued, “This year, I’m shooting for—well, the Marines have told me from time to time we’ve been able to help 650 kids one year and 700 kids another year. Last year, not quite as much, but it was heartening. This year we’re shooting for 800 kids. I hope we don’t fall short, but it’s not going to stop us from trying, so if anybody thinks we’re done, well guess again!”.
He explained about the band’s dedication to safety for the guests who are lucky enough to get seats for the Toys for Tots 2021 Concert. Mike said, “It’s hard for a musician to not perform. I have friends who were musicians and did perform; and did come down with COVID. We made an actual decision early on in this thing, that we would not perform in public as long as there was even an outside chance that somebody would contract COVID. We have people who come to see us a lot; we recognize their faces and know who they are. It’s just one of those things, if they didn’t show up because they caught COVID at one of our events, that would be a situation that would be hard to live with.
We made a conscious decision, not to perform until we knew that we could perform safely. Not just for ourselves, but more importantly, for our audiences. How fair would that be, if our music that was supposed to be getting people together; and then it was our music that got people sick. It’s like putting honey out to catch flies! We just didn’t want to attract people into a situation where you know there’s a chance that they can get sick, even if we didn’t play for three years…or more”.
Mike added, “If the time comes that we don’t have to worry about this COVID thing, the band is still going to be together. So if we don’t perform in that time, then oh well. For now, we seem to be OK, people seem to be pretty happy with the COVID vaccination. They’re not going to completely fill out the Sapphire Room. They want to maintain a little distance, so they’re being careful. We’re confident that this will be a good event and a safe event. We’re happy to be playing. I guess that’s the musician’s way of saying, we’re happy to be playing!”.
Gerry and the Dreambenders have been a popular Treasure Valley band for many years, playing at such varied events as the High Desert Harley-Davidson rides, the Nampa Festival of the Arts, the Emmett Show and Shine Car Show and many times at the Sapphire Room. They bill themselves as “The Only British Invasion Era Band in the Pacific Northwest”. When asked about the band name, and “who is Gerry?”, Mike explained, “We wanted a name that sounded like it came from that time. Not those silly names like Drew & the Geezers or—I’m not apologizing for being old enough to play the stuff, so why should we want a silly name that sounds like we’re embarrassed about it? So we took Freddie and the Dreamers, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, mooshed them all together and that was the best combination that I came up with. So there is no Gerry, that’s just the name of the band. And that’s what we’ve been flying under ever since!”.The band also throws in a few from this side of the pond, with some Byrds, Tom Petty and other choice tunes.
The band consists of Mike Wallace (lead vocals, guitar and harmonica), Dave Owens (drums, vocals and good cheer), Jack Hourcade (bass and sometimes vocals), Ken McAtee (vocals, lead guitar). Mike added, “Ken joined us several years ago. Ken has been my “Brother in Arms” and co-pilot; he’s always there, never lets me down. He’s kept me focussed at a few times in my life when it’s been hard to focus. Ken’s been able to keep me on the right track”. All dress in the popular band style of the 60s; with vintage suits and thin ties.They even carry the theme on to their instruments, which include vintage Rickenbacker, Fender and Gretsch guitars, a set of classic Rogers drums and Vox amplifiers.
Mike added that for the Toys for Tots 2021 Concert, “Also taking part in the festivities is Chef Pat Mac, ‘America’s Caterer’. Pat is an excellent chef with a popular catering company.He is also a comedian; and will serve our Emcee. A couple years back, he raffled off some of his delicious catered dinners”.
As of Sunday morning, this event has become sold out, a testimony to all those putting on this worthwhile charitable event. However, the good news is this—those who still want to donate to Toys for Tots 2021 Concert have a few ways to do it. First, toys or donations can be brought to the Riverside Hotel front desk until December 9th, the day of the concert. Donations can either be unwrapped presents or checks made out to the United States Marine Corps.
After December 9, the same monetary check donations or presents will be accepted by Gerry and The Dreambenders. This will continue until midnight, Wednesday, December 15. Please make arrangements by calling Gerry and the Dreambenders at (208) 602-3350 and leaving a text or phone message mentioning Toys for Tots (calls without messages identifying them as for Toys for Tots will not be returned). If necessary, pickup can also be arranged through this number.
So if you’ve missed out on this worthwhile event, you still have a chance to make a difference. Donating to Toys for Tots will not only make a difference to the children’s holiday season, but you might even be helping a parent to feel better about themselves at this (occasionally stressful) time of year. As Mike ended our conversation, he said, “I’ve got two sons; and there were years when the Christmases were good, and years when the Christmases weren’t too good. My Christmases when I was young, were usually pretty good from a kid’s viewpoint. In retrospect, though, there were a couple of Christmases that—how should I put this?—were a little less productive toy wise. In retrospect, I learned that those were years when my dad didn’t do so well in business. But that isn’t what the kid sees. The kid sees that there isn’t as much under the tree. The dad sees potential disappointment and embarrassment of somebody he loves beyond hope. It used to kill me to not give the kids the Christmas I wanted them to have. I swore back then, that if there ever were a chance to fix that, I’d take that”. Mike Wallace, along with Gerry and the Dreambenders, the Riverside Hotel and the United States Marine Corps, are working together again to make this a season of happiness for both children and adults in the Treasure Valley.
