Abigail Wilson, left, and Everett Foster organized Music Roundtable’s Williams Syndrome Band Bash, which is Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Butler Flea Market. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
Two years after bands rocked Butler Memorial Park to raise funds and bring awareness to a rare genetic disorder, the couple that organized it are looking to bring it back bigger and better this summer.
Music Roundtable’s Williams Syndrome Band Bash will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2. This time, instead of Memorial Park, the bash has moved to the Butler Flea Market, 1640 N. Main St. Ext. in Butler.
“We have a stage being donated to us, so we’re having two stages,” said Everett Foster, event co-organizer. “One will be for the bands, which will be the punk, metal, that kind of stuff, and we have the acoustic stage, so they’ll be playing between the bands, so there’s not any dead noise.”
Co-organizer Abigail Wilson’s daughter, Isabelle Oesterling, was around 6 months old when she was diagnosed with Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects about 1 in every 10,000 births. It is a developmental disorder that affects much of the body, including the heart and cardiovascular system.
In 2023, Wilson and Foster decided to host a band bash because of Isabelle’s love for music, especially metal and hip-hop. Looking back, they consider the previous bash a massive success, and hope to grow bigger this year.
“I’m really excited, because last event, Isabelle was not talking or walking,” Wilson said. “This year, she’s talking, she’s walking, and I can’t wait to see her interact with the bands now.”
Besides live music, the event will feature 50/50 and basket raffles, and food will be available from Diamond Joe’s Five Star Hoagies. All donations and raffles, alongside a percentage of food purchases, will be donated to the Williams Syndrome Association.
“Our first event, I think we raised just under $5,000,” Wilson said. “It was our first-ever event. I feel like that was pretty good. I’d like to at least double that.”
The couple also are leaning into making a family-friendly space this year, as the event will have new activities such as face painting, a scavenger hunt, carnival games and a dunk tank.
“One thing that we really do need still is volunteers,” Foster said. “Volunteers and sponsors are what we’re hunting right now. Just people who can be there day of, whether it be for a couple of hours or the whole day.”
More information can be found at the event’s Facebook page. Those interested in volunteering can reach out to either Wilson or Foster through the page.
Entry to the event is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.
Abigail Wilson, left, and Everett Foster show off their matching Williams Syndrome Association shoes on Wednesday, May 21, at the Butler Flea Market. Sol McCormick/Butler Eagle
