GMIHC Learning and Tribute Center to Host an Evening Honoring the Brave 19
June 19 Event includes showing of “Only the Brave” at Elk’s Theatre and Performing Arts Center, followed by panel discussion with Brendan McDonough, John Marsh and others close to the Hotshots and/or the movie production.
Prescott, Arizona (May 16, 2019) –On Wednesday, June 19, the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew (GMIHC) Learning and Tribute Center board and the Elks Theatre will host a showing of Only the Brave, the 2017 film about the Granite Mountain Hotshots, followed by a panel discussion with surviving hotshot Brendan McDonough, board chair and father of the crew superintendent John Marsh, movie producer Mike Menchel, film advisor and hotshot alum Pat McCarty, as well as former crew chief Duane Steinbrink. There will also be a silent auction of special memorabilia and items. All of this is in support of the GMIHC Center, with a goal of finding a permanent home for the Center. Doors open at 3:30 pm, with the film showing at 4 p.m. Panel discussion, food, and auction following the film.
There are 90 tickets available for $219 with all proceeds benefitting the GMIHC Center. The private event tickets include the film, a limited-edition hotshot challenge coin, hors d’oeuvres from El Gato Azul, craft beer from Granite Mountain Brewing, wine from Yavapai College, and the panel discussion. Tickets for the private event can be purchased at www.bit.ly/gmihc19. The Elks Theatre will have 3 other public showings of Only the Brave for any cash donation, with proceeds shared between the GMIHC Center and the Elk’s Theatre. These showings will be at 7 pm on Tuesday (June 18), Wednesday (June 19), and Thursday (June 20).
“Since the Center opened in June of 2018, we have had the goal of acquiring a permanent structure to house the Center,” said Board Chair John Marsh. “This is one of several fundraisers we have planned, to help with this effort.”
“Only the Brave”, starring Josh Brolin, debuted in late 2017. The film makers state that the story is about the bond and brotherhood shared by the 19.
Brendan McDonough was the lone survivor of the tragedy which took the lives of the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew on June 30, 2013, in the Yarnell Hill Fire. He will discuss the making of film which portrayed experiences of the only Type 1 Hotshot Crew attached to a municipal fire department.
“This is the biggest fund raiser we have attempted so far” said Marsh. “We hope folks come out and see the film and support our dream of a permanent learning and tribute center to honor the 19 hotshots as well as teach the public about wildland firefighting and prevention.” The Mission of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Tribute and Learning Center is to establish and operate a wildland fire learning center that honors the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew (GMIHC) by telling their story, displaying and housing artifacts/memorabilia, and educating visitors about wildland fire, firefighting, and prevention. The Center has been open at a location at the Prescott Gateway Mall since June, 2018.