Amanda Plasse was 20 when she was killed in her School Street apartment on Aug. 26.
An undated photo Amanda Plasse.CHICOPEE – The family of murder victim Amanda L. Plasse are hoping to use the anniversary of her death to help the community.
An event to be held Aug. 26 will have more than 30 bands performing at four different stages, as well as a poker tournament, food, and prizes such as signed baseballs from the Boston Red Sox and a trip to Las Vegas.
The event will be held at Maximum Capacity and the nearby Brass Tap, which are near the 73 School St. apartment where Plasse lived and was killed at about 4:30 p.m. Aug. 26, 2011, said Michelle Mathieson, Plasse’s mother.
The event is being held on the anniversary of Amanda Plasse’s death. Her murder is still unsolved.
“I don’t think it has been forgotten, but the more we keep it public the more it is out there,” Mathieson said. “Hopefully it will jar someone to come up with something.”
Plasse, who was 20 at the time, was killed on a Friday afternoon when she was getting ready for her job as a waitress at Friendly’s in Chicopee. Mathieson said she still believes someone knows something that could bring her killer to justice.
The event will begin at noon and tickets are available for $20 in advance or $25 at the door, and children under 12 will be admitted for $10. There is a $30 charge to buy into the poker game, and for $45 people can play in the tournament and listen to all the bands, Mathieson said.
All the bands have volunteered to play and owners of Maximum Capacity and Brass Tap are offering the use their clubs for free. Mathieson said she is getting donations for raffle items and is working on food donations.
The money will go to help improve the nearby Wisniowski Park, where a candlelight vigil was held in memory of Plasse. Because Plasse was a talented artist some of the proceeds will also be donated to the school department to purchase art supplies.
Mathieson is also asking people to bring a canned good to help restock Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen, which is running low on food. Everyone who does bring a donation will receive a raffle ticket.
“Everything will go right back into the community,” she said.
More information, including a list of the bands which are playing, can be found on the R.I.P Amanda Plasse Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/ripamanda.plasse.