MOUNT GREENWOOD — Alternative rock band OAR will headline this year's annual WeishFest Friday, held in honor of a young South Side man who lost his life to cancer.
The fourth annual WeishFest will take place Friday night at Bourbon Street, 3359 W. 115th St.
Pronounced "Wish" Fest, it is held in honor of Andrew Weishar who at 21 died after a three-year battle with colorectal cancer in 2012.
The Andrew Weishar Foundation was founded by Andrew's younger brother, Dan, shortly after his brother's death. The foundation seeks to provide financial support to families of children battling cancer.
Andrew Weishar was a defensive lineman at Brother Rice High School and Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.
The music festival functions as the foundation's primary fundraising source, the organization said. Since 2012, the group has granted more than $350,000 to families in need.
“During his fight, Andrew asked very little of us. However, before he passed, the one request Andrew had for my family and I was to 'pay forward' the kindness and generosity that we received from so many during those three years," Dan Weishar said.
The popular event has attracted acts like Eddie Money, Warrant and even the Notre Dame football team in attendance, which came out last year to support their teammate and Andrew's brother Dan.
Ticket packages range from $35 for a single general admission pass to $125 for a "gold pass." Tickets can be purchased here. Organizers expect the festival to sell out its 4,000 tickets.
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