Festival to benefit wounded Marine

Festival to benefit wounded Marine

NEW PORT RICHEY --
Seven bands will help Rock the Park during a concert Saturday to benefit a badly wounded Marine, Justin Gaertner of Trinity.

The free event in Sims Park, in downtown New Port Richey, also will benefit the Center for Independence, a nonprofit organization that for 46 years has served Pasco County residents with developmental disabilities. The cash-strapped agency is grappling with state budget cuts.

From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., some home-grown performers will take to the amphitheater stage, organizer Sean Kline said. He is the outreach coordinator for the Center for Independence and New Freedom Transportation.

The "free for all ages show" will feature a silent auction, food and fun, Kline said.

Among the bands will be Cyrenia, a group of Mitchell High School graduates determined to help Gaertner, who graduated from Mitchell in 2007.

Lance Cpl. Gaertner, 21, lost both legs in an explosion in Afghanistan on Nov. 26. His left arm was seriously injured.
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Festival to benefit wounded Marine