Rockin' music for a noble cause: Jake's Music Festival is April 13

Now in its ninth year, Jake's Music Festival -- a benefit concert for the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) -- will rock it out on Saturday, April 13 at the Wealthy Theatre (1130 Wealthy St. SE, Grand Rapids). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Here's your chance to enjoy some of the best musicians in West Michigan. Check out this lineup:
 
7:00 p.m.    Grand 'Piper' Entrance & Welcome
7:05 p.m.    Last Call Band
7:45 p.m.    Lynn Thompson
8:00 p.m.    The Nick Stevenson Band
8:45 p.m.    Otis Blueswell Jr. 
9:00 p.m.    Simien the Whale
9:45 p.m.    Jared Wekenman
10:00 p.m.  Igby Iris
 
Tickets are free, thanks to generous event sponsors, Frames Unlimited, The Gordon Group, Fat Tire Beer, WYCE, DVS, Connie's Cakes, and PJ's Sound and Backline. Donations to JDRF will be accepted, and all proceeds go directly to help find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. There will be a silent auction, free cake samples, and other surprises.
 
Jake's Music Festival was started by Rockford residents Tom and Mary Scheidel, and named for their son Jake who was diagnosed with Type 1, also known as juvenile diabetes, 16 years ago when he was only six years old.
 
JDRF was founded in 1970 by parents of children with Type 1 diabetes. Since its founding, JDRF has funded $1.6 billion in Type 1 diabetes research, including more than $116 million in 2011. The West Michigan Great Lakes Chapter helps people with Type 1 diabetes by providing one-to-one connections, resources, educational programs, and furthering the search for a cure with an active advocacy program.
 
For more info, call (616) 460-5969 or email [email protected].
 
Get involved:
 
- Go to Jake's Music Festival on April 13 at Wealthy Theatre from 7 p.m. - 11 p.m.
- Visit Jake's Music Festival online and donate via PayPal (you don't need a PayPal account to donate)
- Like the festival on Facebook
- Visit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation West Michigan Great Lakes Chapter website
 
Source: Jake Scheidel and Tom Scheidel
Writer: Victoria Mullen, Do Good Editor
 
Image: Courtesy of Jake's Music Festival
Enjoy this story? Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.