Our Hospice of South Central Indiana will hold its 40th annual benefit concert on September 5, moving the fundraiser back to the Bartholomew County Public Library plaza at 536 Fifth St. in Columbus, the same spot where the tradition began nearly four decades ago. The free, family-friendly event runs from 4 to 8 p.m. and includes local food vendors, kids' activities, and a raffle offering a chance to win $10,000, with tickets priced at $10 each.
The return to the library steps carries symbolic weight for the nonprofit. According to The Republic, Our Hospice held its very first concert on those same steps back in 1987, per Our Hospice President Steph Cain, who said the event is returning there to honor the past and build the future. Over the following decades, as crowds swelled into the thousands, the concert moved to Mill Race Park, where it drew as many as 8,000 people for national touring acts including Peter Cetera in 2016 and Sister Hazel in 2023.
This year's lineup skews local rather than national, featuring cover bands 40 Years of College and 3 Beards Strummin'. The latter, a Columbus-based pop/rock acoustic ensemble with a horn section, was voted Best Band in Columbus for three consecutive years and performs covers ranging from Led Zeppelin to Chris Stapleton, according to a video posted by Our Hospice of South Central Indiana on Facebook. Dr. Roy Goode, a former Our Hospice medical director, is a member of 40 Years of College. A local jazz choir will perform the national anthem to open the show.
A Venue Built by the Concert's Own Sponsor
The library plaza itself has a notable civic pedigree. Designed by architect I.M. Pei in 1969, the space includes Henry Moore's 19.5-foot, 5.5-ton bronze sculpture Large Arch, installed in 1971 as Columbus's first piece of modern public art, per the Public Art Archive. The plaza was created by vacating a city street to form a civic gathering space, according to a history compiled by the Bartholomew County Public Library.
This year's title sponsor, Dunlap & Company Inc., has an unusual tie to that very building: the firm, doing business as Dunlap General & Mechanical Contractors, served as the primary general contractor that built the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library in 1969, per Wikipedia. Columbus Regional Health and Johnson-Witkemper Insurance are listed as Rockstar sponsors for the event.
Care That Doesn't Depend on Ability to Pay
Beyond the music and food trucks — including Cookie Paradise, Divine Family BBQ, Mother Bear's Pizza, Erica's Deli, Sno Biz, Alvarez Family Tacos and Upland Columbus Pump House — organizers say the concert exists to fund a mission that goes well beyond what insurance covers. Our Hospice is Indiana's first and oldest hospice, according to Cain, and it provides end-of-life care across 22 counties in south-central Indiana. Tabitha Saltzman said a patient's ability to pay does not determine whether Our Hospice provides care, and that the organization provides care even when patients cannot afford it.
That commitment shows up in the numbers. As a nonprofit, Our Hospice relies on fundraising events like the concert to help offset nearly $300,000 in annual uncompensated care and non-reimbursed family support programs, according to GuideStar filings. Last year's concert raised $71,000, and organizers have set a goal of raising $100,000 in 2026.
Longer Stays, Deeper Support
Andrew Brunni, marketing and communications manager at Our Hospice, said the concert helps improve quality of life for patients and families. Brunni noted that Our Hospice patients stay in its care for an average of 90 days — far longer than the national picture. The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care reports that the median length of stay for hospice patients nationwide is just 17 days, with roughly a quarter of patients enrolling during their final week of life, even as 51.7% of Medicare decedents used hospice care in 2023, more than double the rate recorded in 2000.
Beyond direct patient care, proceeds support bereavement groups and a kids' grief camp for children ages five through 12, which is open to anyone in the community regardless of whether they have a loved one in Our Hospice's care. The concert itself doubles as an outreach tool: it offers kids' games alongside resources about Our Hospice's services, reflecting the organization's broader goal of spreading hospice education. Attendees can also support the cause through donations and t-shirt purchases, though outside alcohol is prohibited at the event.
A Student Artist's Full-Circle Moment
This year's concert poster was designed by a student, continuing a contest tradition tied to the milestone anniversary. Columbus North High School senior Andres Miguel, a graphic design student in the C4 vocational program, won the 2026 poster contest with a 1980s-themed design — a fitting nod to a fundraiser born in that same decade. Miguel's winning entry earned him $500 toward college expenses.
