Moody Chamber talks Rock-n-Roll
Published 5:00 pm Friday, March 21, 2014
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March’s Moody Chamber Luncheon speaker, John Ard, spoke to those in attendance at last week’s luncheon about the excitement of officiating professional tennis and his past with Rock-n-Roll, which has inspired his veteran fundraiser event, ROCK the ALABAMA.
Ard introduced himself to the Moody chamber as a former rocker turned tennis officiator. He said that his officiating started with a Blue grade tournament in Montgomery. From that moment he was hooked, and he has been officiating constantly ever since.
He went to work for the University of Alabama as a young adult and officiated NCAA matches there. He then had the privilege of officiating the U.S. Open. “It was extremely gratifying to be on the courts with the best players in the world,” said Ard.
He said that as an officiator, he worked in Boston, Miami, L.A., Washington and a lot of places in between. His love for tennis and officiating has helped Ard live an exciting and adventurous life but so did his time in a rock band. And Ard cannot forget his Rock-N-Roll roots.
Ard said that his traveling band started after he finished high school. He loved being on the road, and he loved music. After touring around the country for years with his band, Ard finally took a break from the musical scene to spend more time with his wife. But his love for rock never ended.
As Ard grew older he discovered a new passion for those who have served our country so valiantly. This led Ard to combine his passions and create the ROCK the ALABAMA event.
This event is a night of music, to be held at the historic Alabama Theatre. The night will benefit service men and women, the Wounded Warrior project, Military Order of the Purple heart-Chapter 2213, Priority Veteran Programs of Alabama and Fisher House Foundation.
ROCK the ALABAMA will be held on Saturday April 26 and will feature Departure, a Journey cover tribute act from Atlanta as well as the Bonaires and friends, Lolly Lee, Buddy Causey, John Ard and the “Persons of Interest” horn section.
General admission with assigned seating will be $15 per person. VIP seating is $25 per person on TicketMaster.com and $22 or $32 the day of the show. The box office will open at 6:00 pm that Saturday night, and doors will open at 6:30. The show begins at 7:30.
With the exception of require Alabama Theatre employees and some musician fees, all help with the project is strictly voluntary. The theatre has been reserved, performer’s contracts are signed, and tickets are on sale at TicketMaster.com. “Early ticket sales help us immensely. Please encourage everyone you know to purchase their tickets now,” said Ard.
This event, being held to benefit veteran’s organizations, will allow two partnerships to specifically target Alabama veterans. “We hope to fill this great historic theatre and “ROCK the ALABAMA” in celebration of our deserving veterans,” said Ard.
Anyone that would like to sponsor ROCK the ALABAMA or is interested in donation or volunteering opportunities, contact the event committee:
John Ard: 205-914-1629, musictriviaj@aol.com; Gerry Howard: 256-735-3130, ghrltd1@gmail.com; or Burt Gavin: 205-885-7142, bg95@charter.net.
