Grandmas and heavy metal music go together like ... well, typically they don’t. But in the case of 70-year-old Cindy McEntire, heavy metal may be on the calendar for two weeks this summer.
McEntire’s granddaughter, Durango native Alicia Hansen, and Hansen’s boyfriend, Colter Niendorf, are launching a Kickstarter campaign Sunday to help raise money to give McEntire a “once-in-a-lifetime journey across America.” The route will take the trio from Durango to Rochester, Michigan, where McEntire is from. There, they will visit with McEntire’s friends and family and then continue east, hitting Philadelphia and possibly driving to the coast.
And there’s a heavy metal twist.
Hansen and Niendorf are both metal fans. In fact, Niendorf is a vocalist and plays guitar for the black metal band Vile Aesthetic.
“Since we know so many bands, especially all along that strip, we were like, ‘How can we do something with them?’ We thought it would be a cute little idea for a Kickstarter with a photo book that documents the trip, while meeting up with different metal bands,” Hansen said.
The couple are studying graphic design at Fort Lewis College, so designing the photo book is a relatively easy task. They said bands are already on board with the idea. The plan, Hansen said, is to have a layout where each band gets a page with their photo, latest album and more information and then the next page will be a photo of the band with McEntire – an interesting concept, “especially if you have all these burly-looking metal dudes posing with Grandma,” she said.
Along with offering copies of the photo book as an incentive for kicking in during the Kickstarter campaign, contributors may also receive T-shirts, credit in the book and postcards.
The couple will kick off the campaign with a launch party Sunday night at 11th Street Station.
The trio will also be documenting the journey through updates on social media.
“My grandma’s actually wanted to take this trip for about two or three years, but every year, there’s something going on or she’s just not feeling good at the time,” Hansen said. “She really wanted to do it this year because it’s looking like this might be the last year she’ll be able to. Time is kind of a thing.”
The time element is also what has played a role in Hansen and Niendorf electing to take McEntire on the trip because other family members just are not able to get away, Hansen said.
“We’re doing it to help my grandma. That’s really what it is because we like to travel, it’s expensive, so we don’t get to travel as much as we’d like,” Hansen said. “She loves to travel but hasn’t really been able to in like 10-ish years. If no one takes her, then she won’t get that chance.”
katie@durangoherald.com
If you go
What:
The Metalheads’ Road Trip with Grandma Kickstarter Launch Party.
When:
5-7 p.m. Sunday.
Where:
11th Street Station, 1101 Main Ave.
More information:
Visit
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