Friends of Hannah Country Music Benefit Concert a Success

The simple facts are more than 350 people showed up to the Friends of Hannah Country Music Benefit Concert, raising over $5,000 for The Hannah Patrie Memorial Scholarship Fund.

But the evening was really more about celebrating a beautiful, vivacious 15-year-old’s life.

Hannah Patrie, by all accounts, loved country music. So much so that she and her good friend Jeannette Porcello charmed, scammed, or conned (depending on whom you talk to) their way into getting better seats at a Rascal Flatts concert.

She and Jeannette also got country music star Hunter Hayes to serenade them at a show.

Hannah, a member of the Choral Spectrum, the C.A.S.T. theater group and the South Windsor High dance team, also loved to perform.

So Saturday’s benefit concert - featuring the very best that South Windsor and the area have to offer - was a perfect tribute combining Hannah’s two loves.

Cory Myers of Connecticut’s country radio station 92.5 graciously hosted the event with Jeanette. Myers said she met Hannah and Jeanette at a concert, and, during that brief 30-second interlude, Hannah left an impression on Myers.

The evening kicked off with a video message from Hayes.

From there, performances included the following:

Understaffed (an a capella group) sang “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes

Emma Yagaloff and Will Weil sang “Even if it Breaks Your Heart” by the Eli Young Band

Chelsea Hebert sang Carrie Underwood’s “So Small”

Understaffed performed “My Girl” by the Temptations

Lacey Pacekonis sang “Long Live” by Taylor Swift

Mike King and John Gerrity sang “Live Like Your Dying” by Tim McGraw

Emma and Katie Nunes sang “For Good” from the Broadway musical “Wicked”

Eric Koboski and Kevin Maki performed Eric Church’s Springsteen

The Choral Spectrum and Treble Choir performed the “Newsies Melody”