Band delivers for soldiers at Linger Lodge

The Lakewood Ranch band Nothin’ Past Midnite was jamming to Van Morrison’s hit “Brown Eyed Girl” in a practice session at Southern Machine Tool in Bradenton.

Nothin’ Past Midnite was working toward one of its most important gigs of the year, and the musicians won’t even make a dime.

On Nov. 10, the band will be the main attraction at a special Veterans Day weekend event at Linger Lodge.

Bill Pretyka, the band’s leader and a guitarist, stopped the rehearsal to talk about the event.

“We’re doing a free concert for (Manasota Operation Troop Support) because we know we can help them out,” Pretyka said. “If we have an opportunity and the means, why wouldn’t we?”

Pretyka never served in the military himself, but he said he gained added appreciation for soldiers and veterans while doing mission work with Harvest United Methodist Church of Lakewood Ranch to help veterans.

It will be the band’s fifth fundraising event for MOTS.

Pretyka and Mill Creek’s Steve Wendrick, the band’s drummer who owns Southern Machine Tool, attend Harvest United. Both had been volunteers with MOTS before they joined the band. They said working with MOTS, which sends care packages to deployed troops, inspired them.

“By playing concerts for them like this, we get to help them pay for the shipping of those packages,” Pretyka said.

MOTS’ Linda Craig said each care package costs approximately $17.50 to ship overseas. Craig estimates MOTS will ship more than 100 boxes in November alone.

“There’s not a magic number that says exactly how many boxes we send out,” said Craig, who noted MOTS sent out 55 boxes in September. “I hope people show up and show us they care.”

Nothin’ Past Midnite’s fundraising goal for the event is $4,500. At the event last year, Pretyka said just more than $1,000 was raised, but he expects a big jump as the community has shown more interest this year.

The event is free, and money will be raised through a silent auction and raffles.

“Veterans Day is important because we all go through our own day-to-day crisis and we all start to take our veterans for granted,” Craig said. “There’s no more draft so the people who are deployed now are stepping up on their own. That spirit and patriotism is still there, and we should celebrate that and celebrate them.”

Wendrick said his father served in the Air Force during the Korean War, and he feels when he’s helping MOTS, he is helping soldiers much like his father.

“They serve us, and it’s time we serve them,” Wendrick said of service members. “Everyone knows someone who served and they can honor them on Veterans Day.”

Pretyka said Nothin’ Past Midnite is providing the public with an opportunity.

“This is an opportunity to give back,” he said.