Drake Burd will be performing at Millville’s Evans Park on Friday, Aug. 19, wrapping up the summer concert series benefitting the Millville Volunteer Fire Company.
When Drake Burd takes the stage at Millville’s Evans Park on Friday, Aug. 19, he’ll be combining two things that have been part of his life for decades.
Burd, 35, will be performing in the last in a series of concerts benefiting the Millville Volunteer Fire Company, all of which have been held at the park. A musician since the age of 4, he has been a member of the fire company since he was 17.
In an interview this week, Burd said he is looking forward to the concert, particularly since “we are in the process of expansion, so this is a fundraiser to help offset the cost for that. Plus, it’s good PR for the company and the community,” he said.
Burd described his music as “anything from the ’60s to now,” with genres ranging from country to rock, including “groups like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones” and artists such as John Denver, Johnny Cash and John Mellencamp.
“I was involved in many local talent shows and events” as a child, Burd said, having started playing the piano at 4.
Burd, a resident of Ocean View, attended Sussex Technical High School, where his concentration was in media broadcasting. He later completed studies at Delaware Technical Community College in office administration, having switched from communications.
These days, Burd is often at the fire house in Millville, volunteering his time to help with paperwork and reports. He said the fire company asked him to perform in the concert series, which also included performances by Dustin Showers in July and Taylor Knox in June. When he’s not working at Harris Teeter, he also volunteers at Beebe Healthcare every Thursday.
Michelle Steffens, financial secretary for the fire company, said a ribbon-cutting and open house for the project is scheduled for Oct. 16, when the public will get to see the work that has been going on there for months. As the expansion nears completion, Steffens said, the fire company’s EMTs are now able to sleep back at the firehouse, instead of their temporary quarters at the Millville town hall complex.
“It’s coming along great,” Steffens said of the progress, for which the fire company started a $2 million capital campaign a year ago. In addition to the new EMT quarters, the 5,000-square-foot expansion project includes upgrades to the firehouse kitchen and offices, as well as more living and training spaces for volunteers.
“It’s going to be a huge blowout,” she said of the October celebration, during which the Towns of Millville and Ocean View will be recognized for their help purchasing a new boat and ambulance for the fire company.
The final concert in the MVFC Concert Series will be held on Friday, Aug. 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults or $10 for children ages 6 to 12, and are available at the gate, at the fire house or online at www.bethany-fenwick.org. Children age 5 or younger will be admitted free of charge. Concertgoers should bring their own chairs.
All proceeds go to the MVFC Capital Campaign.
Food will be available to purchase at the concert, from the Hocker’s BBQ food truck and Kona Ice. Banks Wines & Spirits will also be selling adult beverages.
Evans Park at Millville is located at 32517 Dukes Drive, Millville.