The LRLR Raise Funds for Behind the Scenes at USITT Raffle

	The crowd gathers at the Behind the Scenes stand for the charity raffle organized by the Long Reach Long Riders and held during USITT's Stage Expo.

The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) celebrated their upcoming ride through Southern California with a raffle and live auction to benefit Behind the Scenes during the USITT Conference and Stage Expo in St. Louis, Missouri, last week. Sales of raffle tickets, some key donations, and sales of BTS and LRLR-branded swag raised over $15,000 for the charity. The LRLR 2017 ride, dubbed the "Avocado Adventure," starts on June 16th in Escondido, California. The riders cover all their own expenses so everything they raise goes to the charity. Sponsor a rider today at the URL below.

Festivities led off with the traditional kazoo parade led by Bill Sapsis and USITT executive director David Grindle and many of the LRLR. Following the parade, BTS Pledge-a-Product partners InCord (orchestra pit safety netting systems) and ETC (irFR and aRFR application for iOS and Android devices) presented checks from the sales of their products pledged to BTS.

Live auction items included a custom pen/screwdriver and a seamripper created by Shan and Trish Ayers and two special ghostlight desklamps created by Bob Scales.

Just a few minutes before the raffle started Sapsis announced he would donate up to $1,000 to match the amount raised in last minute ticket sales. There was a flurry of activity as the crowd stepped up and made Sapsis pay out the full amount. Reid Neslage from H&H Specialties stepped up with another $1,000 to triple the amount.

The winners and their prizes are:
* Grand prize, Vectorworks Spotlight with Renderworks won Roger Bardwell
* BTS Ghostlight from Altman Rentals won by Mike Katz
* ETC Source 4 Mini Portable from BMI Supply won by Stephen Trammell
* DMXcat Multi-Function Test Tool from City Theatrical won by Steve Welsh
* Event Safety Summit 2017 Registration from the Event Safety Alliance won by Robert Haycock
* GoPro from InterAmerica Stage won by Alexis Bond
* Set of eight Rosco Fitch Liners, Rosco Off Broadway Sample Kit, and Rosco Fluorescent Sample Kit from Musson Theatrical won by John Wendling
* $250 gift certificate from Sapsis Rigging won by Alfred Parish
* PK Grill & Smoker from Stageworks won by Scott Parker
* USITT 2018 Full Conference Registration from USITT won by Hope Kaas * And, at the last moment Grindle threw in a refund on the 2017 USITT Conference Registration fee which was won by Kyla Kazuschyk

Special thanks go to USITT for making the Behind the Scenes presence at the show possible; to Moe Conn, Kim Craigie, Alice Neff, Bill Sapsis, Frank Stewart, and Greg Williams for their invaluable help; to the donors of BTS's fabulous prizes; and to all who bought raffle tickets, auction items, and swag.

All proceeds go to the Behind the Scenes charity which assists entertainment technology industry professionals or their immediate family members who are ill or injured. For more information about Behind the Scenes, to donate, or to apply for a grant, visit the URL below. For more information about the Long Reach Long Riders visit www.lrlr.org.