Chelsea Bossert/Daily Mining Gazette From left, musicians Mike Urbis, Todd VanDyke and Bill Kautto rehearse Monday, just days before the Chassell Country Western Show Saturday at the Rozsa Center.

CHASSELL — The Chassell Country Western Show is fast approaching with the Chassell Band seeking donations to make its music program possible. The Lightning Ridge Band will perform at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts. Funds raised from the show will go toward the Chassell music program to purchse new instruments and the further expansion of the band.

Concert organizer and guitarist, Bill Kautto, said country music is a staple in the Keweenaw and he wants to continue the tradition of the more than 40-year old show. “Well, it’s the music I grew up with and I prefer,” Kautto said. “It’s kind of a universal music for the people and the crowd.” Kautto who has been a key part of the show since its inception in the 1980s said it is a tradition he looks forward to each year. “Every year is a new experience. It’s always great to work with everyone and visit, not only with the band, but the people that attend. It’s a good community get-together.”

Multi-instrumentalist and K-Bear 102.3 (WHKB) radio personality, Todd VanDyke, said he wants the Chassell Band students to get the same opportunities the band had when they first started in music. “We love traditional country music and this is an opportunity to play it and for folks to come and hear it,” he said. “At some point or other, [we] had some opportunity in our lives to get started in music, and we want to make sure that all the kids in the copper country have that opportunity too — even in the small school like Chassell.”

VanDyke added music is more important to kids now than it has ever been, especially in the digital age. “It’s a creative outlet. It’s a way to get away from the electronics and the digital-ness of the world, and there’s really a great satisfaction in playing,” he said. “I think that kids, probably more than ever now, need to feel that satisfaction. So many things come easily on electronic devices.”

The band is largely composed of older adults with a great deal of musical experience. Guitarist and vocalist, Cathy Isaacson, said music helped her as a kid and wants the same outlet for kids today. “It was a nice break and it was an escape sometimes, because you can do it anywhere,” she said. “You can sing or play an instrument anywhere you want, whether other people like it or not.”

Notes From Home, which is the Chassell Band Booster Club, has been helping put on this event. It has created promotional material, concert programs and a website to help raise funds for the program.

Booster Club member, Moriah Goodall, said at the end of the day, this is for the kids.

“We don’t have any other fundraising that we do,” she said. “So, this is the one thing we can not only bring back to the community and the love for country music, but the way that the community wraps around and supports each other.”

Kautto and the band have one more rehearsal left before the show on Saturday. During their Monday rehearsal, the band was trying to pin down what energy they needed to bring to the table.

Whether it is playing slow songs, fast songs, classics or hidden gems, it is undeniable the Lightning Ridge Band plays with heart. “The Lightning Ridge Band would like to encourage everyone to rally to support the Chassell band program,” Kautto said. “By making a special effort to attend Saturday’s Country Western Show at the Rozsa, they support the students and keep this annual event alive for years to come.”

Tickets for the show can be purchased at events.mtu.edu/event/chassell-country-western-show-2026 and donations can be made at chassell-band-notes-from-home.square.site.