John's Wall Story

I believe John left me things to create because he knew my grief would be overwhelming. Losing my baby boy has devastated me in a way that I will never be the same. One of the things he left me was a message on his white board that he wrote one month before he passed, “May 24th 2018 bar & grill” IN PERMANENT INK! So I have had no other choice in my mind than to have a bar & grill by May 24th 2018. I purchased a piece of property in Murray City, UT and began a huge fixer upper project… I had no idea what I got myself into. Nine months later, new roofs, 4 new furnaces, 3 crooked contractors, more than $100,000 later and still the city couldn’t approve a bar & grill. The bar was cancelled out due to the proximity of a church, so I let that go and choose to have an Exotic Elixir Bar & Grill. However, in order to open the door’s I needed to repave and put a storm drainage system underground. So I decided to make a cobblestone courtyard and sell bricks to help fund the project. Then Gabby an LDS business school student came up with the idea of a brick wall. Gabby was leading a team of students to help me with my facebook. I loved it because I could use the existing bricks on the brick buildings. I was living on the edge financially, had pulled out $100,000 out of my retirement with a 10% hit that hurt, I hadn’t been working (At least nothing that was bringing in any income, but I was painting, sanding, tiling… you name it, I was doing it.) So I decided to invite all of mine & John’s friends, and all those who had helped us throughout the years, all the people, groups, teams John was a loyal fan of, to order a brick and have their names on the wall, they could have one their name on a brick for a voluntary love donation in Lieu of flowers at his services on of course May 24th 2018. Any donations are greatly appreciated and help the family enormously.

John also created the SOLSTICE music & yoga festival for June 23, 2018 at Brighton Ski Resort. In April 2017, I was heading for a hike and stopped by John’s house to drop something off when he came home. I cancelled my hike and visited with him in the back yard. He sat on the patio on a warm spring afternoon and downloaded his vision for the SOLSTICE music & yoga festival. He wanted music all day long, music competitions, dance performances, musical instrument sales, mini music lessons, yoga, swag, talent scouts. He started moving forward with the festival but I got nervous and pulled the plug, and suggested we stick to our annual community campout. I promised him that I would help him in 2018. Today it is May 14, 2018 and I have the No Quarter Led Zeppelin band coming… John’s favorite music. A permit, permission from Brighton, and I am moving forward to create the SOLSTICE music & yoga festival. It has been a huge stress, I have woken up panicked. I have a small team, I need to sell $1,000 tickets to break even, and I’m preparing his Celebration of Life in ten days. I’ve had tons of rejection in getting sponsors, but the show will go on. I am hoping some people will be generous in purchasing Led Zeppelin tickets and a brick with their name on the wall to help with the SOLSTICE festival budget.