As the Jersey Shore continues to clean up and rebuild from Hurricane Sandy the Monmouth County Traffic Officers Association is holding a concert Dec. 8 to benefit the first responders affected by the storm.
"Heroes Helping Heroes" will be held at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park and will feature a variety of local bands including the popular country act After The Reign.
The association includes officers from all the towns in Monmouth County and Sgt. Joseph Markulic of the Howell Police Department said the event is being held to benefit those that were impacted the most by the storm. "Seeing how many officers were affected we thought it would be a good idea to get something going specifically for police, fire and EMS."
Markulic said many of the first responders who went out to help their towns came back to see their houses badly damaged or destroyed. "A lot of these people went home to nothing," he said. "I think it's the least we could do."
The fact that the concert is being held at one of the most iconic concert venues in the state makes it that much more special for Markulic and his group. "It means a lot. It's right at the shore, it just got affected. It's basically, we're going to keep fighting and we're going to move forward."
A total of six bands are scheduled to perform at the event and there will also be door prizes, drink specials and two very special raffles. Those in attendance can enter to win guitars autographed by country music superstars Toby Keith and Keith Urban.
Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. For more information check out the event's Facebook page or the page for the association. Other questions can be emailed directly to Markulic.
