OTTAWA Ottawa music promoter DNA Presents isnt letting a little setback get in the way of helping out in the community.

DNA Presents is organizing Farm Aid, a country music benefit concert Sept. 16 at Ottawa Stadium featuring Michelle Wright and Paul Brandt, to aid Ottawa-area farmers struck by this summers drought. The benefit concert, organized in partnership with Ottawa Stadium officials, also features Gail Gavan, Jason Blaine, Emerson Drive and Ambush. Y101 will host the concert and Wayne Rostad is the guest MC.

One of many shows DNA is presenting this fall, it comes just months after one of the companys founding partners allegedly fled the country with the proceeds from the Escapade Music Festival. Nick Vachon, arrested in Aruba, is now in police custody in Ottawa awaiting another bail hearing on charges that he stole the money from the festivals coffers.

Despite that financial setback, the partners in DNA Presents are determined to carry on with a full slate of shows.

Were not going anywhere and we slowly want to get back to where we were. This is something that will help us get back on our feet, said Michael OFarrell, one of the four partners in the Ottawa company. It has a show with Swedish DJ and music producer Marcus Schossow Wednesday at Barrymores and it has announced a Sept. 22 show at the CE Centre with dadalife, one of the acts that appeared at the Escapade Music Festival.

He said the idea for Farm Aid came from Don Foley, chair of the Ottawa Stadium Group and a local farmer.

Its a great show, and with the summer that weve had with the drought its definitely a good thing for the community. Ottawa has a great agricultural community and were happy to help Ottawa farmers.

OFarrell said if Farm Aid attracts an average of 5,000 people the concert has the potential to raise about $100,000. The recent cancellation of the Capital Hoedown festival may mean that Ottawa fans are ready to support a different country music event, he added.

With the country acts that we got and the supporting acts its still a pretty significant lineup, he said. He said other acts are going to be named shortly.

OFarrell said a full-scale country music festival is not out of the question for next year and more discussions will be done after Farm Aid is over. He said DNA Presents has a good working relationship with Mark Monahan, head honcho at Bluesfest, and hed be interested in talking to Monahan about possibly staging a country music festival in Ottawa.

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DNA Presents organizes Farm Aid concert