2024 Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert
2024 Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert
Annual Event to Support Local Veterans July 20th
Photos / Col. Patrick Miller
A hometown hero returns to his stomping grounds to welcome the 5th annual Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert. Colonel Patrick Miller, an Allegany native and event organizer, is happy to share that this year’s event will take place at Bradner Stadium in Olean, NY on Saturday, July 20, 2024 beginning at 4:00pm. The summer event aims to not only raise donations but to also recognize and assist veteran support, locally and nationally.
Col. Patrick Miller knows firsthand the importance and sacrifice each solider makes in the line of duty. Having served multiple tours across seas in Iraq and suffering a serious gunshot wound during the Fort Hood mass shooting of 2014, he shares his positivity and gratitude to be here another day. In his good nature he recognizes the support he was given in times of healing and wants to return that appreciation back to his fellow service members. The Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert reflects on how one positive action and idea can grow into something with such meaning and celebration.
This year, the concert shifts its location to Bradner Stadium in Olean to welcome an increase in attendance. Organizers anticipate around 1,500 people to join in this year’s event. Each ticket sale benefits multiple veteran causes including Fisher House, Homes for Our Troops, WNY Heroes, and St. Bonaventure’s Veteran Services. These organizations allow for local and national assistance to soldiers and veterans in need and each has become a special partner to Col. Miller. Fisher House, an organization which provides free housing to veteran families while their loved ones are in the hospital, took Col. Millers’ family in and provided housing and support while he recovered in the ICU after the Fort Hood shooting. They have now built a relationship of ten years assisting veterans in need together through benefit proceeds. Homes for our Troops offer remodeled and refurnishing services to wounded service members. They are recognized as one of Americas top rated veterans and military charities with the mission of “building homes, rebuilding lives”. More locally, WNY Heroes, founded in 2007, offers financial assistance to veterans in need and have continued to grow in their support thanks to local events such as the Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert. The St. Bonaventure Veteran Services will also be included in event proceeds to assist and aid active and veteran military personnel.
The Wounded Warriors Benefit Concert offers not only a good cause but a good time. As a family friendly event, you can expect music that blends country, rock, and a little bit in between. National and local artists will take the stage to offer a night that won’t soon be forgotten. Col. Patrick Miller, organizer of the event, has secured the headlining act, Tyler Farr, dubbed “one of the best male vocalists in country music today”. The country artist is known for his love toward the military, making him a perfect fit.
Each year Col. Miller also enjoys involving local artists, and as an Allegany native, he was excited to share with us that, “The very opening act or band, I like it to be super local, like as local as homegrown straight out of Olean or Ellicottville!” This year they welcome Ade Adu as the starting act, one of western New York’s favorite solo acoustic musicians.
The all-day event not only offers their live music line-up, but plenty of other activities for all guests to enjoy. Sticking to their commitment to community, you can expect to see a wide range of local food trucks and vendors, along with dessert trucks and beer stands. Over one hundred businesses have donated gift baskets for silent auctions and raffles. You’ll also be able to find autographed sporting merchandise by the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. Let’s not forget to mention a celebrity appearance will be among the crowds, but you’ll have to wait for the day of to find out who!
Another great addition this year will be the giant inflatables for younger guests to enjoy. From soaring high slides, bounce houses, to even a 30-foot-long obstacle course, the event aims to offer families a fun outlet for kids to enjoy beyond the musical acts.
Celebrating their 5th annual event, Col. Patrick Miller shared with us just how special this milestone year has become. “It’s exciting! This is an endeavor that I started back in 2017 again with the intent of doing something to raise money and awareness to support veterans and wounded and disabled veterans, both locally and nationally and give back to the organizations and folks that helped me and my family, specifically after I was hurt in the Fort Hood shooting in 2014… after surviving two deployments to Iraq, so many peers and friends I knew that had been wounded or killed… that motivates me every day til this day.”
As a community, to watch this event grow in support, we should all share in the positivity it provides. A memory to enjoy with friends and families, a summertime tradition, singing, dancing, and laughing together, while supporting the service members that provide us this safety and comfort of home. Col. Patrick Miller goes on to explain, “To make this thing happen, it’s because of the deliberate planning and dedication where everybody believes, and everybody is part of something that is bigger than themselves.” What better way to become involved than by attending the Wounded Warriors Benefit Concert and seeing firsthand what it’s all about.
Tickets are available online at www.eventbrite.com under Southern Tier Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert. Pricing for general admission is listed online with children 12 and under being free. You can also purchase tickets at the door the day of the event. To find out more on the event, check out the Facebook page for the Southern Tier Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert.