From staff reports
A date and location has been set for actor Gary Sinise's Lt. Dan Band to perform in Marietta, a concert aimed at raising funds for a local soldier injured in Afghanistan.
The band will perform on the evening of Aug. 16 at the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center at Marietta College, with ticket information to be announced later this month. Sinise is best known for his role on "CSI: New York" and playing Lt. Dan in "Forrest Gump."
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The concert is a joint venture of the Gary Sinise Foundation and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, founded in honor of New York City firefighter Stephen Siller, who died on 9-11.
Money raised will go toward the cost of building a "smart" home, specifically designed for Marietta resident U.S. Army Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, who lost both legs and his left arm after an explosion while he was on foot patrol in Afghanistan in June 2011.
"One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to building the house," said John Hodge, a spokesman for Tunnel to Towers. "With land, the usually end up costing about a half a million dollars. There's a tremendous amount of smart technology used-basically it's a home that operates from an iPad."
The Gary Sinise Foundation covers all the costs of the concert, Hodge said.
Jonathan Hupp, safety-service director for Marietta, said several sites in the city were considered for the concert but the college facility best suited the event.
"We're extremely grateful to the college for doing this," he said. "It's at a busy time for them, when students will be coming back, but they wanted to help."
The site has seating for 3,000 people.
"We're working on taking it to capacity," Hupp said.
The project is also in need of donations, which could include money, materials or labor, said Hodge.
Local industry interested in helping can contact Hupp at 373-1387. Those interested in learning more about Tunnel to Towers and helping with the Hockenberry home or other projects, can visit www.tunneltotowers.org.
