Musician raising money to help Hamilton bar that was vandalized

“Then suddenly there was all this positivity downtown. There were other bars that had local music, but it was mostly cover bands. (The business) was the only venue I knew of open to original music. It’s small, intimate and quaint.”

The Queen City Silver Stars subsequently played at at he business several times, but then COVID-19 hit, and even during the reopening phase, the bar hasn’t returned to its full lineup.

“Because it’s such a small space, social distancing is difficult,” Becknell said. “They had to stop the live music. There was a break-in recently, too, where, because it’s a fairly old building, a stained-glass window was busted out.”

So, partnering with the downtown Hamilton businesses Main St Throw Shop and 3rd Street Music, Becknell is holding a raffle fundraiser for North Second Tap and Bottle. Main St Throw Shop is a sporting goods store that specializes in outdoor activities such as skateboarding and disc golf. First prize is a custom Queen City Silver Stars skateboard deck featuring some of Bucknell’s early artwork.

“It’s just the deck because some people are particular about which wheels they pair with which deck,” Bucknell said. “And some people like to hang skateboard decks on their wall as art.”

For the first prize winner, Main St Throw Shop will include a free set of Bones Red Bearings for the skateboard, and a 15 percent discount on trucks, wheels and other accessories.

“The funny thing is, I love frisbee golf and two members of the band are into skateboarding,” Bucknell said. “They used to do it a lot especially during quarantine time. Then (Main St Throw Shop) opens and it was like the perfect store for our band. We approached them, and even though they were a new business, they said they’d be willing to help out the community.”

Second prize is a Queen City Silver Stars fan pack, which includes 3 CDs, two T-shirts, one koozie, and a lei that looms large in the band’s touring history. 3rd Street Music, which sells new and used instruments, offers lessons, and features two recording studios, are providing a T-shirt as third prize.

To enter the raffle, go to www.queencitysilverstars.com. A Google form will be available to fill out and submit (no downloading required). Tickets are $20 (single ticket), $30 (three tickets), or $40 (five tickets). Payment will be collected through Venmo.

People can enter throughout most of September. The winner will be announced on Saturday via a livestreaming event on the Queen City Silver Stars Facebook page.