by Bodhi Haugen

The warm smell of food and the golden glow of freshly poured beer welcomed Arcata performers and locals to the doors of Humboldt Brews this weekend.

A three-day, all-ages event called Arcata Rising brought together over 50 bands to raise funds for those affected by the Jan. 2 fire near Arcata Plaza. In addition to live music, the fundraiser featured private auctions and community donations to support neighbors and business owners affected by the fire.

The event was inspired by the fire’s proximity to Humboldt Brews. Shelley Ruhl, an owner of the brewery, said witnessing the fire firsthand motivated the decision to host the fundraiser.

“I saw it happening and just really felt terrible for my neighbors and business owners, watching it and not being able to do anything,” Ruhl said. “That night, I said we should do a benefit concert.”

The brewery was busy each day of the event, with organizers highlighting packed crowds and high community involvement. Event organizer Brian Swislow said Saturday reached capacity early in the afternoon.

“Yesterday, we were close to capacity by 3 p.m.,” Swislow said. “It stayed sold out throughout the day, completely packed from 3 p.m until 1 a.m.”

Swislow also spoke about the importance of local artists in Humboldt County and their role in fundraising efforts.

“There are ways to raise funds for the community in multiple areas, and music and culture are big ones,” Swislow said. It would be great to see the community lean on the artists so that we can actually raise money, as opposed to awareness.”

Arcata local Michael Lehaman, who attended the event to see a longtime friend perform, saw how Arcata’s community is supporting one another after the fire.

“I think it’s really great that people are making something positive out of a tragedy,” Lehaman said.

Musicians who participated in the fundraiser praised both the organizers and the diversity of performances. Musician and former instructor of Cal Poly Humboldt’s Marching Lumberjacks Jeremy Cotton, also known as The Wizard, said the event ran smoothly with a concise schedule.

“I was here yesterday from about three in the afternoon until about 10 at night, and I saw a lot of bands,” Cotton said. “The two stages going back and forth, and such a tight schedule, made it super smooth. There was such a variety of music, you can’t beat it.”

Wolf Navarro, singer and guitarist for War Möth, said he was impressed by how well the event came together over all three days.

  “Today, fundraising has been going great,” Navarro said. “I can’t believe how well it’s been organized and how everything just sort of melted together.”

Bodhi Haugen is a journalism major and writer for the Lumberjack at CalPoly Humboldt. Bodhis is on KRFH and enjoys reading, writing, photography, and art. You can reach him at bgh27@humboldt.edu.