Event supports Dave Kline after fire
Fans, friends and loved ones had to wait their turns to hug Dave Kline on Jan. 12 at the fundraiser held for Dave and wife Kathy in the wake of the fire that destroyed their Spring Township home on Dec. 14.
Held from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Oley Fair Center in Oley, the event raised $7,507, according to Kempton artist Jonathan Bond, lead organizer.
It was standing room only, but the Fair Center hummed with friendliness and a distinctly businesslike vibe as people stuffed cash into bins and buckets, and stood around munching hot dogs and sipping birch beer.
Rounds of applause reverberated for the musical lineup, which included Mike and Linda Hertzog, The Celtic Martins, Bob Entler, Butch Imhoff and Keith Brintzenhoff. There was much fiddling around, and even some clogging.
In a lively auction, people bid on handmade hex signs, paintings, pottery, Kutztown Folk Festival tickets, restaurant gift certificates and gift baskets. The impressive array of items included a copy of “The Place I call Home,” a collaboration between Bond and Dave Kline.
Kathy couldn’t be there on Sunday because she had to work, but Dave moved through the crowd, greeting people. A consummate entertainer, he even picked up a guitar for the finale. He said recovery is a slow process, and later on Facebook he posted, “This was powerfully uplifting. Thank you everyone.”
In other fundraising efforts for the Klines, a GoFundMe account set up by Fred Bernardo has reached $23,816, exceeding its goal of $20,000; and a GoFundMe account set up by Lakin Harmon has brought in $9,480, surpassing its goal of $5,000.