Bettering lives through music: Aslinger scholarship benefit returns Saturday

Local bands will take the stage for charity this weekend at the third annual Howard Aslinger Memorial Music Fest hosted by Bel Air Bar and Grill in downtown Cape Girardeau.

The festival is one of the fundraisers the Howard Aslinger Scholarship Foundation holds every year to fund scholarships for individuals with disabilities.

Howard's wife, Jean Aslinger, is coordinating the event and said the foundation, now in its fifth year, has given more than $20,000 in scholarship money since its establishment.

"When [Howard] passed away in 2009, he always wanted to help someone else go to school and better their life and overcome a disadvantage," she said. "So we started the foundation and the more we make, the more we keep giving."

The festival starts at 1:30 p.m., and music by Drew Koeppel and John Puzan, Cloverdale, the Gippers, the Mike Renick Band, the Intention and the Tone Def All-Stars goes until midnight.

Mike Renick Band (submitted)

Aslinger said the festival grows each year. In previous years, the local bands have drawn hundreds of people together for a good cause and kept them entertained while they're there.

"The bands have all been really awesome, giving their time to help us out," she said. "Some have been with us every year we've done this."

Mike Renick and his crew are one of the bands that has been a part of the festival's lineup each of the past three years.

"I've known a few of the folks associated with the foundation for a while now, so when they wanted to get something like this together, I was more than happy to help out," he said. "If you like live music, Bel Air is a great place for it, all the while helping out a very good cause."

He says it's a consistently great atmosphere, due in part to people's fond memories of Aslinger.

Drew Koeppel and John Puzan (submitted)

"He was heavily involved in things here and people want to come out and support other folks in his name," Renick explained.

After a childhood bout with polio left Howard Aslinger in a wheelchair, he became determined not to let it sideline him. He presided over community councils and coached his daughters' sports teams. His motto became, "It's not a handicap; it's an inconvenience!"

This good-humored catchphrase is now the mantra of the scholarship foundation that bears his name.

"It's not a handicap because that's what he felt," Jean Aslinger explained. "He could do it. It would just be a little different or take a little longer. You can do it too, you just might have to work a little harder at it."

In addition to scholarship money, the foundation is also dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities get involved athletically. Their Ace Athletes program, funded by their yearly 24-hour endurance race, provides things like race entry fees and equipment for area athletes.

Tickets for Saturday's event are available at Missouri Running Co., Bel Air Bar and Grill, or from any family member, who can be contacted through the Howard Aslinger Scholarship Foundation's website, howardaslingerfoundation.org.

The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and mid 80-degree temperatures, but the festivities will proceed rain or shine.

tgraef@semissourian.com

Bel Air Bar & Grill 24 S. Spanish St, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701

Missouri Running Company 1720 Kingsway Dr, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701