Band To Dedicate "Shine" To Young Fan At Milford Pumpkin Festival

MILFORD, NH — Elizabeth Clark decided she wanted to dedicate one of the Murphy-Clark Band's most emotional songs to one of the band's most inspiring young fans at the 30th annual Milford Pumpkin Festival. When she found out that Jacques Memorial Elementary second-grader Noah Lantaff could not make it to this year's festival to hear the song in person, Clark decided that she and the band would bring the song to the young boy who is recovering from bone marrow surgery at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.

During the band's Pumpkin Festival set Friday night starting at 7:30 at The Oval in Milford, the Murphy-Clark Band will live stream the song "Shine" on its Facebook page. Clark has arranged for "Shine" decals and lyric cards to be passed out to the crowd with the hope of showing Lantaff, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia two years ago and underwent a bone-marrow transplant on July 30, the crowd of neighbors there pulling for his full recovery.

"We decided that if Noah was at the Pumpkin Festival we would sing it for him in person," Clark said. "When we were told he wasn't going to be there we were so disappointed. But then I said: 'What a minute. We can still dedicate it to him and live stream it to him.' We want people to come down, and sing with us, and we want him to see all the support that he has from the people of Milford."

Clark said she hopes to record the song and distribute it through donations to Lantaff's GoFundMe page.

"Every time I listen to that song I think of someone who is out there who needs some support," Clark said. "I get so emotional."

Clark said she hopes the performance will help boost donations to the GoFundMe page to help Lantaff's family defray the costs of traveling to Boston for treatments and check-ups. The Milford-based Americana band has played the Pumpkin Festival for the past 25 years and annually performs fundraisers for causes in the area.

The Murphy-Clark Band has posted the lyrics to the song "Shine" on its Facebook page with the hopes that as many town residents as possible will be inspired to come to the festival and take part in the interactive live stream:

"I’ve got one more river to cross

One more mile to go

One more axe to grind

Another stone to throw

One more life to save

Another turn the key

One last storm to brave

Then you know, I’ll be free to

CHORUS:

Shine, yeah shine

For all the world to see

I’m gonna shine, yeah shine

And no one’s stopping me

You know this life will be beautiful, so beautiful

I’m gonna shine, yeah, I’m gonna shine.

Yeah, it’s been a while

I have been shot down

To get back to feeling good

And then regain some ground

Now I’m feeling strong

A little more like me

I’m gonna step out into the light

Then you know, I’ll be free to

CHORUS / SOLO / CHORUS

I’ve got one more river to cross

One last bridge to burn

One more storm to brave

And one more lesson learned."

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.

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