Cave concert benefits local public radio

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Many people explore Missouri's caves, but in late August about 150 people will be able to enjoy a concert in one of Ste. Genevieve County's caverns.

KRCU plans the Concert in a Cave to raise money for programming on the station, which broadcasts in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. The third annual Concert in a Cave will be Aug. 27 at Cave Vineyard in rural Ste. Genevieve County.

Southern Illinois folk quartet Etherton Switch will perform a two-hour set inside the vineyard's natural saltpeter cave following a social hour.

The band will bring folk music intertwined with humor to the cave venue, which Laura Oliver of Cave Vineyard said provides great acoustics for live music and a nice atmosphere for a concert with the natural setting.

"It's definitely a unique venue," Oliver said. "It's not a man-made or dug-out cave, which makes it unique in itself outside of the concerts."

The cave's small colony of brown bats made an appearance during the first year's event in 2008, according to Dan Woods, general manager at KRCU.

After the introduction of the musicians, folk duo Cathy Barton and Dave Para, the welcome applause of the audience stirred the bats, and they flew over the crowd and out the entrance of the cave, Woods said.

"About a half-hour after sunset they come out, and they circle around the cave for a few minutes and then they leave," Oliver said. "That's always quite a thrill for our nighttime guests to see that."

The vineyard hosts a social hour with wine and appetizers and then guests ride a shuttle down to the cave's entrance for the concert. During intermission, the Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association will give a special presentation to welcome new members.

Woods said in previous years listeners and others associated with station from Cape Girardeau have attended the event. The location of the concert near Ste. Genevieve is important, Woods said, because it provides an opportunity for the staff and listeners of KRCU to get to know people from KSEF, 88.9 FM. The station rebroadcasts KRCU's signal, allowing it to reach a broader audience.

The event has raised about $1,000 each year; the money is applied to programming and membership fees to the three networks the stations are members of, including National Public Radio, Public Radio International and American Public Media, Woods said. The programming fees each year total around $100,000, he said.

The 150 tickets available for previous years did not sell out, Woods said, but the event is still new and gaining a following.

During a break in the music, volunteers from the alumni association will accept a formal charter membership for a new chapter based in Ste. Genevieve, said Shad Burner, university director of alumni services. Thomas M. Meyer, the association's president, will welcome the new chapter.

Over the course of the year, KRCU holds several events and asks for contributions from members to raise programming funding. This year, the station held its first fundraising breakfast. A chocolate tasting, which is similar to a wine tasting but features chocolate from around the world, is also a popular event, Woods said.

Attendees of the concert will receive a KRCU memento. Social hour begins at 7 p.m., followed by the concert at 8. Tickets cost $35 and can be purchased by calling 651-5070 or online at www.krcu.org.

Directions to Cave Vineyard can be found at www.cavevineyard.com/vineyard/hours-location.asp.