Amedisys Home Health has a solution for students looking for inexpensive ways to have fun during Spring Break.
The 2010 Capital Area Start! Heart Walk Thank You Concert, presented by Amedisys, is free, and it will be held at Varsity Theatre on April 9.
“It’s a thank you for the companies and individuals who helped and raised funds at the Heart Walk, and it’s a way for everyone to come together,” said Paula Dawson, regional vice president of the American Heart Association.
Long Neck Society, a local party band, will play songs ranging from rock ‘n’ roll to zydeco.
“We play a wide variety of music, both covers and original stuff,” said Dave Monic, drummer for Long Neck Society. “We get the same response from people who go to see our shows from managers — they have a good time, and it’s always a fun crowd.”
Monic said his band has performed at the Amedisys concert for four years, hoping to raise awareness of the Heart Association in the local community.
The concert will also feature original songs performed by 484 South Band, whose influences range from Mississippi John Hurt to the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
David Johnson, 484 South Band’s drummer and University alumnus, works for Amedisys and has played in the concert every year. He said the band plays everything from ’70s classic rock to modern-day Southern rock.
“Students seem to like our original music — it’s very guitar-driven, and it’s current,” Johnson said. “We also do our own version of some classic rock covers that people like and are familiar with.”
Twain Pigott, 484’s guitarist, said the band moved from covers to original songs, making the music “a lot more specific to our experiences growing up.”
Dawson said the Capital Area Start! Heart Walk, which was held last weekend, has been going on for more than 20 years.
Kaci Lato, compliance coordinator for Amedisys, said this year’s Heart Walk had a great turnout, with 13,000 walkers and donations of $950,000.
“It’s all about getting people to start walking,” said Karen Spears, spokesperson for the Heart Association in Baton Rouge. “Everything that we raise stays in Louisiana and goes mostly toward research, education and funding — life-saving research to fight the number one killer of Americans — heart disease.” 
Amedisys, a home health and hospice company, plays a major role in sponsoring the Heart Walk every year.
“The concert actually started as a way to thank to our employees … [Amedisys was] in the top five companies in the nation for funds raised for the Heart Association,” Lato said.
Amedisys has put on the Thank You Concert every year since 2007, although it was originally held as a benefit for the Heart Association, said Lato.
The show will be for ages 18 and over, and admission is free. Doors open at 8 p.m.
“It’s a good time,” Lato said. “People can have a night out without paying a cover.”
Contact Elizabeth Clausen at [email protected]