Steel Bands To Drum Up Funding for Colon Cancer Awareness
Emma Delk Trending
Local steel drum bands from across the Ohio Valley will unite for a good cause on Saturday during the fifth annual Festival of Steel concert.
The concert will be held on Saturday, March 22, at 1 p.m. in John Marshall High School's gymnasium. Admission to the concert is $5 and proceeds will be donated to the Colon Cancer Coalition.
The event will feature local steel drum bands from John Marshall, Sherrard Middle School, Wheeling Park High School, Bridge Street Middle School, Wheeling Middle School and Steel Cassa, the valley's only professional steel drum band.
This year marks the fifth rendition of the Festival of Steel, which was started by Tracey Filben's daughter, 2019 John Marshall graduate Kailey Filben. Tracey Filben noted it was "unique" to have so many steel band programs in West Virginia, "let alone the Northern Panhandle," with the concert providing an opportunity to show off their talents.
Proceeds from this year's festival will go towards the Colon Cancer Coalition, an organization that raises awareness for colon cancer to increase testing for the disease.
"They're trying to raise awareness for colon cancer to get increased testing for people because if the disease is caught early, it can certainly be treatable," Filben said. "If it's not caught early, it is deadly."
Raising awareness for the disease is important to Filben, as she lost her husband, Buddy Filben, an Ohio County Schools music teacher, to colon cancer. Filben's late husband played a role in beginning many steel bands in the Ohio Valley, including founding Wheeling Park's steel band in 1994, the first steel band in the state of West Virginia.
Filben said local businesses, including Sleep Inn in Moundsville, Dr. Garry Lewis, the Prima Marina, The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and Grisell's Funeral Service, have donated to the cause before the concert.
The concert will also raise funding for the Cancer Coalition through a chance auction with gift card and gift basket prizes. Steel bands participating in the concert donated gift baskets for the raggle.
A concession stand with drinks and snacks will also be available at the concert.
Doors to the concert will open at 12:30 p.m. Anyone who shows their personalized Marshall County Schools Activity Pass will get free admission.
"We really look forward to this concert because it's no pressure and all just happy feelings of performing together for fun," Filben said. "Everyone just joins together and plays. Even the instructors of the steel band groups join in to play, so it's very low-key and social."