PITTSBURG, Kan. — What is better than rocking out to music while feeding Crawford County residents? The Pittsburg Noon Rotary Club invites the community to join them Saturday, May 3, for the return of “Rotary Rocks Hunger.” Proceeds go towards The Lord’s Diner.
According to Rotary Club member and event organizer Jon Bartlow, the origins of Rotary Rocks Out Hunger dates to the early 2010s when the city of Pittsburg did not have enough funds for a July 4 fireworks show.
“It’s modeled after something that I was involved with about 12, 13, 14 years ago called ‘Big Bang Rock Fest,’ and what it was was the city of Pittsburg probably in about 2010 didn’t have enough money for fireworks,” said Bartlow. “So a buddy and I, I mean we were just sitting around one night, and we were like ‘Hey, we should do a fundraiser so the community can have its fireworks celebration.’
“… I just called up a bunch of friends and local bands and said ‘Hey, why don’t we get four or five bands together and we’ll do a big thing at 505 and all the proceeds can go towards Pittsburg fireworks … We raised a couple thousands of dollars, and it was fun. We grew that in five years to four venues downtown and 24 bands, six bands in each venue.”
The city then gained enough funds in 2015, allowing Bartlow and organizers to shift to “Rotary Rocks Out Hunger.”
“This is modeled after that and I just kind of stole the idea because I was one of the two people who did ‘Big Bang Rock Fest,’” added Bartlow. “So Pittsburg Noon Rotary, their main local philanthropy is The Lord’s Diner. So we know there is a constant need for, of course, food for those in our community and so we said, ‘Why don’t we try to do something fun that’s going to get the community involved?’ It’s not just a donation, you can come out and enjoy yourself.
“I hope that this year can be bigger than it ever has been ... We did it several times and then Covid happened, and we didn’t do it for several years. Last year, it just didn’t come together. I would say this is probably the fourth time that we’ve done this.”
Throughout the years of the event, Pittsburg Noon Rotary has hosted the event at the Robert W. Plaster Center, 505, The Pitt, and Lincoln Park. This year, the event is moved back to downtown Pittsburg.
The stage is set for May 3, where five bands will rock out during Rotary Rocks Out Hunger from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at 5th Street Bar & Grill, located at 111 W. 5th St. Admission is $10 per person, and all proceeds go to The Lord’s Diner.
The lineup for the event is Ty Ellis (6 p.m.), Kim on Top (7 p.m.), The J3 Band (8 p.m.), Stone Country (9 p.m.), and The Bonnie Situation (10 p.m.). From ‘90s R&B to country, music lovers will have plenty to enjoy while raising funds for a cause.
“We are going to be selling t-shirts; 100 percent of profits from the t-shirts are going to go towards The Lord’s Diner,” said Bartlow.
The Lord's Diner of Pittsburg, a non-profit kitchen operated by and for the community, opened its outreach location in 2016.
“For an event like this, it’s so good in that it brings attention to what the diner is doing in an unconventional way, in a very fun way, and it’s able to be something fun that the community can come and experience,” said Rotary and Lord's Diner Advisory Council member Joe Dellasega. “It brings awareness that there’s a group like the diner out there that’s taking care of basic needs in our community.”
The majority of the patrons served by the Lord’s Diner are Crawford County citizens living paycheck to paycheck looking for a way to extend their budget. Additionally, it serves the local homeless population.
“There is a percentage of our guests that are homeless, but when you look at the demographics, a large percentage of our patrons or guests are working poor,” Dellasega said. “That’s something that always makes you feel better, people that are actually stretching their budgets, they are able to use their money for other things.”
The Lord’s Diner serves from 3 to 3:45 p.m. at 8th Street and Pine St.; 5:30 to 6 p.m. at Deramus Park at 16th St. and Michigan St.; and 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. at Silver Lake Dr. between Michigan Ave. and Atkinson Ave.
Whether it’s The Lord’s Diner or any other cause within the community, Bartlow noted that the Pittsburg area really rallies behind its residents as the event has already received several donations from area businesses.
“Wearing my PSU hat and my community member hat, our community is amazing,” he said. “I mean, it is simply amazing. When it comes to folks who are able to put money up, to help with things like this, that is second to none. But then, our community folks to be able to come out in numbers and en masses to support things. Pittsburg is a wonderful place to live and that’s why I’m here. Hope to see that support on May 3.”
To donate directly to The Lord’s Diner, visit give.catholicdioceseofwichita.org/the-lords-diner. For those interested in volunteering, call Oberle at 620-240-4134 or email [email protected].
This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.
