Montross may have another recurring event coming to add to the roster courtesy of Larry Hinson—better known as DJ Master Blaster—and Northern Neck Brewing, which held a fundraiser for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital last Saturday evening.

The weather could not have been more cooperative, with the heat of the afternoon leveling off and leaving everyone with a pleasant balm. While some gathered inside the brewery to enjoy themselves, plenty more gathered in the old green space outside to listen to the tunes of the Hard To Tell Band.

With charity events, it’s not unheard of for a majority of donated funds to go toward lining the pockets of the people running the charity rather than the actual cause, which can be disheartening. But according to Butch Filkowski, who runs Northern Neck Brewing, that is not a problem when it comes to St. Jude’s.

“There’s not as much of an administrative layer to them as there are with certain other charities and foundations,” Filkowski explained. “Whatever is given goes right where it has to.”

According to Filkowski, the idea for the event originated with Hinson, who used to do fundraising for Relay for Life.

“Last year, he asked if he could do the Relay for Life fundraiser here, but we couldn’t quite coordinate it,” continued Filkowski. “This year, Larry ran it by again, but then the Relay for Life kinda fizzled, and that’s when we thought of Saint Jude’s. So Larry and I figured out a date and made it work. The idea of doing something has been here for the last two years.”

Hinson, it turns out, is no stranger to fundraising. In fact, he has close to 40 years of experience with it, which he laid out during a quick chat.

“I started the whole Master Blaster thing in 1977 over in Kinsale,” explained Hinson. “That’s how the Kinsale Foundation got started. I began with a home stereo, two receivers and speakers, a turntable, and a cassette deck. The place was jam‑packed and we took off from there.”

It was during this time that Hinson began working with Relay for Life and continued until panic and concerns about the pandemic arose.

“When COVID hit and shut everyone down, nobody wanted to really get involved with anything,” Hinson continued. “So then Butch and I decided on Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital. He had the venue, and I had the equipment.”

In addition to the live music and DJ work, people were drawn in by Filkowski and his employees whipping up slow‑cooked barbecue for what he called “a lawn party,” where people come along with their lawn chairs and sit outside to enjoy the live music.

A portion of the proceeds from the night went to charity, along with direct donations. Filkowski indicated that they didn’t have an overall goal in mind when they planned the event. Hinson has said this will not be the last time he hosts an event like this, with the upcoming fall season the most likely time for another charity night.