BUFFALO, N.Y. — On March 1, 2023, a four-alarm blaze took the life of Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno. It was a tragedy that touched the entire community.
But on that day, overshadowed by that tremendous loss, was another loss, one of a lifetime of work, a couple's passion, a beloved business.
DC Theatricks' co-owner Dave Dejac clearly understands the biggest tragedy of the day was the loss of one of Buffalo's bravest,
He, along with his wife Lynn and business partner Doug Caskey, have spent the past 15 months coming to grips with the reality that more than four decades of painstaking work and collecting, was also lost in an instant. Their business occupied the first floor of the building.
"We knew immediately. Forty-one years it took to build and acquire that, that without spending another 41 years, you could never replace this," he said.
They had grown a huge following, creating costumes for area theater productions, events and the World's Largest Disco, and also a steady stream of big Broadway productions. They made most of it by hand.
The costumes, supplies, and specialized equipment were all burned in the fire.
They had longtime customers and friends try to help them immediately, help them rebuild their collection, but the task at hand was too monumental. Given the circumstances of the fire, they were always hesitant to be part of any fundraiser.
"It took them a while, several different people talked to us at different periods of time saying we wanted to do a benefit," Dejac said.
"We just said, we'll get back to you and let you know. We just didn't really want to do it to be honest. Everything we did, we learned how to do things on our own. We were always self-sufficient, and many wanted to do the benefit. I don't know. It's not us, you know?"
But then family stepped up and said it's time. Lynn's cousins Debbie Knoll and Marylou Saur have pulled together basket donations, and number of bands for a fundraiser this Saturday.
Saur explained, "When this happened, we discussed having a little bit of a benefit. When I started talking to people about it, would you come? would you do this? I realized everybody kept saying you can't have a little benefit, this has to be a big benefit and it has to be in a big place."
And they got one of the biggest, The Town Ballroom.
Knoll says this is as much about reconnecting Dave, Lynn and Doug with their many long-time customers and friends as it is about raising money.
"It was always a big hug when you see them, I mean, they were like our family. You sit there and ask about how they were doing. So all their customers were like family," Knoll said.
The benefit will take place Saturday, June 15 from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Family and friends will come together at The Town Ballroom in celebration and support of DC Theatricks.