By DAN HEATH
PLATTSBURGH -- An upcoming event is designed to help those who help others.
The second-annual Hot Rods for Hospice fundraiser will be held from 9 a.m. until 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at 8-Ball Billiards Café. The event features a car show and parade, three tournaments, four bands, a barbecue dinner and more.
Hot Rods for Hospice is a fundraiser for Hospice of the North Country's two locations, in Plattsburgh and Malone. The non-profit organization provides end-of-life care in the location of its patient's choice.
Hospice Director of Marketing Amanda Bow said Hospice of the North Country provided care for 248 people in Clinton and Northern Franklin counties last year.
"We are looking at these events as great exposure for the agency. There is a lot of misconception that it (Hospice) is only for cancer patients," she said. "We serve people with all types of diagnoses."
Bow said those who are unsure if they qualify for care can approach their doctor rather than wait for a referral from the physician.
According to its Web site, Hospice of the North Country is a "dedicated team of professional staff and trained volunteers who work with the patient's own physician and other community resources to provide patient-focused, family-centered, end-of-life care. This care is given without regard to disease, age, race, gender, orientation, color, creed or ability to pay."
The event is hosted by 8-Ball Billiards Cafe, located across from the former North Country Shopping Center.
Owner Jay Montpelier said the car show will have 20 classes, with a professional panel of judges. The show will be on the lawn at Plattsburgh RV Park, and the entry fee is $12.
Registration is from 9 to 10 a.m., and the parade starts at noon. The route is south on Route 9, west on Boynton Avenue, south on Beekman Street, east on Broad Street and north on Margaret Street and Route 9 back to the cafe. The Clinton County Sheriff's Department will provide an escort.
Four bands will take turns on stage from noon until 1:30 a.m. Worst Case Scenario is the host band, with Just Us, Denim and other bands to perform.
"The bands all play for no charge," Bow said.
The barbecue meal costs $10 for adults, $5 for ages 5 to 12 and free for those under 5.
Dart, horseshoe and pool tournaments start at 1 p.m. Last year, half the prize money from those events was donated to Hospice, Montpelier said.
There will also be auctions and a number of events for children, such as a bean-bag toss and searches for pool balls in piles of mulch.
Commemorative shirts and trophies were provided by Loreman's Embrodiery, Engraving and Screenprinting, and full-color event posters were donated by Border Press.
Overnight accommodations are available at Plattsburgh RV Park and the Rip Van Winkle Motel.
About $5,000 was raised during last year's event, despite stormy weather early in the day.
"We had about 300 people here," Bow said.
"We thank Jay and his staff for all the hard work they put into it."
dheath@pressrepublican.com
