Long Island musicians to pay tribute to Harry Chapin

In these tough economic times, hunger is an even greater problem than usual on Long Island, with local food pantries and soup kitchens struggling to keep up with the need.
   
On Monday evening, Aug. 9, many talented Long Island musical artists will gather at East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park to present a concert and food drive in tribute to the late singer-songwriter and anti-hunger activist Harry Chapin — playing his songs for the cause to which he dedicated himself.
   
“Twenty-nine years after Harry Chapin's death, the need to fight hunger is still as urgent as ever,” says Stuart Markus, a LI-based singer-songwriter who has been organizing Harry Chapin tribute concerts on Long Island for seven years. Although the Aug. 9 concert is free, guests are encouraged to bring canned goods and other non-perishable food items for distribution to needy Long Islanders through Long Island Cares, a food bank founded by Chapin in 1980 that works to relieve hunger on Long Island. Over the years, the concerts have raised about three tons of food and several thousand dollars for the nonprofit organization.
   
Chapin, who resided in Huntington Bay , was killed in a car accident on the Long Island Expressway on his way to perform a free concert at that same stage in July 1981. His music and his giving, community spirit have lived on, and the concert venue has been renamed the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre in his honor.
   
This year's concert will include a ceremony during which Long Island Cares Director Paule Pachter will present a special commemorative plaque to Nassau County for installation near the stage. Chapin's widow, Sandy, and daughter Jennifer, herself a touring singer-songwriter, are expected to attend the 7 p.m. unveiling, as is Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.