Boland concert Saturday at TAMU-T
Clay’s Golf and Guitars fundraiser benefits memorial fund
For those organizing the Jason Boland & The Stragglers show Saturday night at Texas A&M University-Texarkana’s campus, the band’s appearance holds special meaning.
Jason Boland and his crew were the late Clay Eichler’s favorite country band, and so the Clay’s Golf and Guitars fundraiser honoring his life landed the right band to headline the Saturday event. Clay, an A&M Aggie graduate, died tragically early last year, and now his family wants to honor him by starting an annual event to benefit the Clay Eichler Memorial Fund.
To start it all off, Boland’s band will perform outdoors near TAMU-T’s University Center and pond starting at 8 p.m. with local favorites 2Pianos kicking the event off at 7 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. If it rains, the event will be moved indoors to Eagle Hall.
“We decided in the summertime we wanted to do something to honor him,” recalls Clay’s mother Gail Eichler. After he passed, the family gave themselves six months before they decided how to do so, having seen that there are many organizations here that do good work.
Then the idea hit them. “We were back in the back working, and I was listening to some country music and Jason Boland came on,” she said. She talked with others about the idea: wouldn’t it be fun to hold a concert?
“We were just throwing it out there, like a pasture party, and one thing led to another,” Gail said. Somebody suggested they hold a golf tournament, too, which actually starts at 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Texarkana Golf Ranch. (The golf scramble is closed to new teams, but singles can join.)
In this way, with golf and country music, the benefit combines two things Clay loved. And this year, the benefit primarily helps fund scholarships at TAMU-T (along with some devoted to a building fund), Gail learning that there was a need there to be met.
“Every time I talked to anybody, it just fell into place,” she said.
In addition to music, food is being prepared by Jeff Loving. Pecan Point Brewing is providing beverages. The headliners will play for an-hour-and-a-half.
For the Eichler family, organizing this concert and benefit fund is their way to take something terrible that happened and funnel the energy into something positive for others. After this concert is over, they’ll take applications at the event Website for a worthy recipient next year.
“It would not happen without the community and our friends,” said Gail. Her son was 23 when he died.
“He was one of those kind of kids who was friendly, happy-go-lucky,” Gail said. He was a constant, the kind of guy to call if you needed your truck pulled out of the muck. He loved to be with his friends.
“He loved to hunt and fish, and got into golfing when he was at college. And liked country and western music,” she said, noting he had a roommate in a band that would play as an opener for Jason Boland when he was in town.
(Tickets: $50. Please bring blankets, not lawn chairs, for the grass seating. Buy tickets at the door, or in advance at ClaysGolfandGuitars.com by hitting the registration tab and printing your ticket.)