HOPEFEST
More than just a full day of music, Hopefest is the life-changing venture of a Jupiter couple, Matt and Melissa Hudson, launched in memory of their infant son, Harrison, who was born with unsurvivable physical defects.
Harrison died in 2011, at four months, and today he is remembered through an annual benefit concert at Abacoa Amphitheater in Jupiter that raises funds for selected families facing similar challenges — special-needs children requiring major care.
With a national headliner, the groove-minting New Orleans jam band Dumpstaphunk, and a deep roster of area performers, Hopefest 2015 is also a testament to the Hudsons’ love of music. Matt Hudson told the Palm Beach Post in 2014 that once the family decided to start a foundation, “We weren’t going to do golf tournaments. We needed live concerts.”
The homegrown lineup ranges across rock, roots, funk, alternative, acoustic and electric. There’s the ghostly, voice-and guitar soundscapes of alt-troubadour John Ralston; earthy, unplugged jams from Sosos; and a straight-up James Brown tribute by Fusik. Also mobilizing for Hopefest 2015 are South Florida acts Boxelder, Luna Rex, Chaucer, Mike Mineo and Uproot Hootenanny.
Not all of Hopefest’s young beneficiaries are fated to lives as brief as Harrison’s. But their needs do not automatically recede as they progress through childhood.
Take Gabriel Castle, a four-year-old born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), a disabling condition in which stiff, underdeveloped joints restrict both motion and muscle development.
Gabriel’s mother, Meghan Castle, tells Matt Hudson in a podcast that multiple surgeries in her son’s early life have given way to regular physical, occupational and speech therapy — Gabriel is also developmentally disabled. For all the demands his care places on him, Gabriel remains a happy child whose favorite TV show is “Thomas the Train,” says his mom.
In a video at HopeFestFL.org, Matt Hudson says the event is also about getting families like the Castles out of the house and letting music be their therapy for a day. There’s also a Kids Zone, food vendors and, for the grownups, service of craft beers, wines and specialty drinks. Hopefest 2015 runs noon to 10pm, Saturday, Nov. 21, rain or shine, at Abacoa Amphitheater, 1267 Main Street, Jupiter. Advance tickets are $20 at Eventbrite. com, Kids 12 and under are admitted free.
~ Sean Piccoli
