Rest in Peace
We are devastated to hear of Dan Dirst’s recent passing.
If you can, please help his family here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/2a2k34-bring-dan-home…
Dan brought people together by booking great punk rock shows in the Peoria area. One that is prominently featured in the book was a two-day benefit festival at the Morton Optimist Club in March of 2000. It was a huge amount of work – and ultimately raised $1,600 for the TAPS no-kill animal shelter.
In our conversations, Dan offered the following:“The Peoria punk scene really felt like a community, and for the first time I felt like I ‘belonged.’ Most of my friends, even still today, I met through the scene — some very good, kind-hearted people. Seeing how well the punk community worked together made me realize that with the right attitude, punk rockers can get it done! Thank you to the Peoria ‘kids’ for making the ‘90s living in Peoria enjoyable!”
