By Meghan Rose
On September 4th, Shire Lane Estate hosted a concert for the Orchard Farm School District to celebrate before the first home football game of the 2026 season. Russo & Co., which has had concerts at Shire Lane Estate before, performed for the community. Small businesses, including food trucks and spirit wear companies, attended the concert and had food, beverages, and Eagles merchandise available for purchase. A portion of the profits made that night were donated to the senior class of 2027.
Orchard Farm staff member and home field football announcer Doug Inman came up with the concert idea after the community’s love for Russo & Co showed up during a song played last year at a home football game.
“I knew Mr. Anthony Russo was from St. Charles, but I had no idea how many people knew his music. It was incredible. A family posted a video on Facebook and Russo reached out to thank me for playing his song at our game,” Inman said.
Following through on the idea, Doug Inman personally contacted the community and received donations through sponsors. The senior class of 2027 helped Inman make this event possible. In addition, Dierbergs Market at 370 and Pundmann Ford donated $1,000 each. Trupanion, Brian Peters - Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance, Isabelle's Coffee House, Barber Salon at Boschertown, and Boschertown Go Karts all donated $250. Mann Meats, Rambling Rounds, and Shire Lane Estate also donated a portion of their sales.
These donations made the concert free for the community and provided a place to meet up with friends before the first home football game. With such a tight-knit community, people are more generous to the school. “Some of the donors are alumni of Orchard Farm, some have kids going here, and some just love being a part of EAGLE NATION,” Inman said.
Doug Inman and Russo & Co posted on social media platforms before the concert to spread the word as much as possible. Through these efforts, almost 500 people said they were interested in attending, and a community of support showed up at Shire Lane Estate that evening. In addition to social media posts, Custom Threads & Design, LLC, owned by Michelle and Adam Sinclair, sold 120 concert shirts to help promote the concert. Through these efforts, Inman is the perfect example of what it means to have school spirit and be involved.
Keeping the spirit up, after the concert, football fans went to the school and flooded into the gates of the football field to cheer on the Orchard Farm Eagles in their battle against the Pacific Indians. At halftime, the Marching Eagles performed their new routine, “Chasing the Storm”, and the Eagle Elites performed their mix routine. In the end, the Orchard Farm Eagles defeated the Pacific Indians 42-22.
Through this event, the community was given a chance to come together and support Orchard Farm, the class of 2027, and small businesses throughout the night. This night is hoped to be the start of a new tradition for Orchard Farm fans, families, and graduating classes.