Good can often be born from tragedy, such as with tonight's benefit concert at the Crowbar.

For the fourth consecutive year, Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., will host the Kevin Dare benefit concert, founded for the Penn State pole vaulter who died in 2002 after suffering a head injury while vaulting.

Kevin Dare came to Penn State on a track scholarship and excelled in pole vaulting for both indoor and outdoor track.

In February of his sophomore year, while attempting a vault at the University of Minnesota Big Ten Indoor Championship, Dare fell mid-vault and hit his head on the metal planting box. He was rushed to a Minnesota hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.

When she heard the news, Michelle Grove said she felt compelled to act.

"It hit me hard," said Grove, the benefit's coordinator. "I worked in the same building as Ed [Kevin's father] at
the time. I couldn't imagine going through something like that, so I approached him with the idea of a benefit concert."

In October of 2002, six months after the tragedy, Crowbar hosted the first benefit concert and raised $4,000. This money allowed the Dares to create the Kevin Dare Pole Vaulting Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is now awarded yearly to a Penn State student track athlete.

By last year's concert, that $4,000 had grown to $37,000, which was split between the scholarship and the newly formed Kevin Dare Foundation.

The foundation allows the Dares to help pole-vaulters outside of Penn State by giving schools money for safety equipment like helmets, soft-boxes and box-collars.

Raffle tickets and "Vault Safe" wristbands have also been sold to raise money for the scholarship and foundation. Wristbands will be available at the show tonight and on the Web site, www.kevindare.com.

Six bands will play at the benefit concert tonight. Band members are volunteering their time. All of the bands also play a dedication song to Kevin's family and friends.

"The family is so nice and it is great to do this for them in memory of their son," guitarist Matt Day, of the band In, said. "We are so glad we can be a part of it."

Members of other bands scheduled to play tonight said they are also glad to help out the cause.

"It's gonna be a great event," said James Balogach, bassist for the Poptart Monkeys, who will play at 10 tonight. "It's just one of those situations where you know everyone is giving their time and it's also respect for the event. Plus, you get to hear some great tunes."

The lineup begins at 8:15 p.m. with Penn State lacrosse player Mike Jacober and his band and ends the night with Atlantic Records recording artist Halestorm.

"We have some incredible bands
this year," Ed Dare said. "Mike Jacober's band is outstanding and we have a national band this year for the first time. We're pretty proud of those two things."

Eric Dare described his brother as "a very hard-working, really determined person."

"He had more integrity than any other person I met in my life," Eric Dare said.

Ed Dare had similar feelings about Kevin.

"He was a very unique person," he said. "Friendship was everything to him. Not only was he my son but my best friend as well."

Kevin's immediate family and his grandparents will be at the event tonight. They said their goal for tonight is to raise $50,000.

"We're hoping to get a good turnout from the student athletes and students in general," Ed Dare said. "This event has a very special meaning for us."