WILTON — Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday to donate $500 to the Lac-Megantic Relief Fund.

The money will be taken from the town’s contingency/legal account, Town Manager Rhonda Irish said Thursday.

A benefit concert featuring several local groups is also being planned for Saturday, Oct. 12, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the University of Maine at Farmington dining hall, Selectman Tom Saviello told the board. Lac-Megantic Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche, fire Chief Denis Lauzon and their spouses will attend, he said. Funds are expected to be given to them. 

The Lac-Megantic Relief Fund is now more than $20,000, Saviello said.

The money is to help the Canadian town recover from the devastating train derailment and resulting fire that killed up to 50 people and destroyed more than half the downtown in the early hours of July 6.

“It’s not our sister city,” he said, “but there are 200 people with no place to go back to.”

Local fire departments who went to Lac-Megantic to help fight the fire will be recognized during the concert. The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce is planning a silent auction.

“It will be a fun night,” Saviello said.

Saviello, along with Ryan Morgan, chairman of the Farmington Board of Selectmen, is helping to organize the fundraiser. The music, sound system and concert space are all donated, he said.

Admission will be with a $10 wristband. They will go on sale soon at a location to be announced.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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