Next weekend, Jake Clayton will be back home in Mexico for a concert at the Knight of Columbus.  

Even though this year’s Relay for Life has come and gone, the fight against cancer never ceases here in Mexico. 

The Girls Night Out Relay for Life Team have worked for years to raise money for cancer research through events such as cooking demonstrations, raffles and more. But this month, Nancy Early and Susan Paden wanted to venture outside the box for a fundraiser event.

“Jake has family who has been affected by cancer and we thought it was a different idea, something that would be a lot of fun for the community to enjoy,” says Early

So much work and careful planning goes into orchestrating events like this one which has been a year in the making. The team’s first step was getting in contact with Jake Clayton and Rob Daniels and deciding the best time for the concert.

“When you’re looking at dates, you're also looking at what’s going on in your community,” says Early. “Even after you think you’ve found a date, you find other things that are also going on.”

With one eye on community calendars and the other on the potential draw of Jake Clayton, Girls Night Out worked meticulously, eventually settling on Friday, Oct. 25. They chose the Knights of Columbus Hall for the venue.

The next step was getting the word out about the concert. Advertising can come with a hefty price tag when you add it all up so the team reached out to the Mexico City Tourism Commission. 

“We were granted a tourism tax grant for advertising so that has been wonderful and very helpful,” says Early 

The tourism commission met in August to discuss the request by Girls Night Out for $500 in advertising funds which was approved unanimously. The expected total cost of the event was $2,500 and all in attendance agreed this was a “reasonable request”.

“Jake Clayton seems to draw a crowd around here,” said Dana Keller, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce in the meeting.

That draw is exactly what Girls Night Out is hoping for. In order to maximize the appeal, and of course proceeds, ‘A Night With Jake Clayton’ is more than your run-of-the-mill country music concert. 

Doors open at 5:30 for dinner at 6 p.m. The Knights of Columbus will be cooking a pork chop dinner. Additionally, there will be a 50/50 raffle, and live auction featuring three quilts donated to the team by a donor in Bowling Green, MO., a traveling cake, a meal provided by the Baker family and other items. 

Tickets will not be available at the door but are available for $35 through Friday morning by calling KWWR/KXEO at 573-581-5500, Nancy Early at 573-721-6247 or Susan Paden at 573-473-8241.