"I'd like to make an event where I donate all of my tips some night to the Montgomery County Cancer Association."
"Wags, I think we can make this much bigger"
It started as a simple concept back in the fall of 2010. Raise a few bucks some night for the local cancer association. At the time, Zach was going back to school to become a teacher. School by day, bartending at night. College friend turned Hillsboro resident, Lesley Pollard, was head of the local Chamber of Commerce and was skilled in event planning and promoting. Lesley thought bigger than just one bartender, but having multiple local “celebrities” compete. A small committee was formed of family and friends. That family had lost their father and friend to cancer a few years prior so they wanted to do this event in his honor. Coming up with the name was easy. Ron “Stamps” Wygal was a local mailman who was known throughout the community. From this, Stamp Out Cancer was born.
At the time, it seemed like many fundraisers catered to a certain clientele. While all fine events, there was a large population that would be willing to get involved if they had the chance. Having a “celebrity bartending” competition brought something different to the area.. These local celebrities would compete against each other while bartending to see who could raise the most in tips. The event would be free to attend. Anyone could come and be a part of it.
Lesley and Zach jumped on board to compete, as well bar owners, business owners, and politicians. What took the event to the next level, though, was when 9x UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC Hall of Fame inductee Matt Hughes agreed to compete as well. The Hillsboro Country Club would be the host. Springfield musicians The Ramblin Blues Band agreed to play free of charge. Silent auction items came in from all around. The community was ready to rally around a cause that impacts us all. They were ready to Stamp Out Cancer.
It would be a cold night on January 8th of 2011 as snow hit the ground earlier. Almost all tables and chairs were removed to make sure there would be room. Outdoor heaters were brought in just in case there was an overflow. A couple hours into the event it was apparent that both were needed, as the crowd filled both rooms and flooded outside. The community was ready to Stamp Out Cancer. The first SOC is still a favorite among many as you could feel it was the start of something new. The Inaugural Stamp Out Cancer ended up raising $10,800 for the Montgomery County Cancer Association. The Stamp Out Cancer team quickly realized that this needed to happen again. From here on out, though, it would need to happen on a bigger scale.
The next year Stamp Out Cancer moved to the local Knights of Columbus Hall, which is now called The Event Center of Montgomery County. It is the largest event building in Montgomery County. The team decided on a “Dancing with the Stars” theme, where once again they would find local “celebrities” to compete as well as live music following the competition. There would be teams of two and came from not only Hillsboro but also Nokomis. The SOC Team was hoping to sell 300 tickets by the time of the event. They sold 500 in just 2 weeks. Teams this year also began fundraising in advance to add to their total. Letter writing campaigns, tip jars at businesses, and the dawn of the mini fundraiser.
For the 3rd Stamp Out Cancer the team went bigger, booking one of the biggest party bands around – Dr. Zhivegas. It paid off as the event sold out in a matter of days. This was also the first time that the team held a ticket buying event, with lines starting early for it. Teams this year hosted multiple mini fundraising events to help add to their total. This began the Stamp Out Cancer season, which goes from the day of ticket sales till the night of the event. The SOC Team also started looking long term with this event. What they needed was a brand. Since the very first Stamp Out Cancer and still to this day, every design has come at the hands and imagination of Hillsboro native, Chris Reynolds. You don’t even need to see the words to recognize the logo. All you need to see is the black and yellow with the tilted stamp. While the logo has taken on different colors and alterations to match the theme or band that year it’s only added to longevity of the SOC brand.
From here on out the event would sell out quickly. Usually the day of ticket sales, one year in just 10 minutes. Limits had to be placed on the amount purchased to insure fairness. For the past 10 events the time of the ticket sale has been 10:00 am, usually a couple of months before the event. Lines went from forming a few hours before to 8 pm the night before. It became a competition on who would get ticket #1. For the past couple of years they have even received a trophy or medal.
There have been other changes through the years. In 2016 the format switched from Dancing With the Stars to a Lip Sync Battle. Most recently the format changed to a Game Show. Some of the biggest musical acts around have played the event, including the Dirty Muggs, Platinum Rock Legends, Street Fighting Band, Joe Dirt and the Dirty Boys, and Vote for Pedro to name a few. As with everyone, covid had its effect on Stamp Out Cancer. In 2020 the team had to cancel their 10 Year Anniversary event just 2 weeks before it was to take place. In 2021 there wasn’t an event at all. Stamp Out Cancer fired back, though, in 2022 by raising a then record of $145,000.
Teams now come from all parts of Montgomery County for a chance to have their name on the coveted Stamp Out Cancer trophy. Businesses from around the county jump at the chance to hold events for the fundraising teams. The teams also get creative on the types of events. From a polar plunge, to a scavenger hunt, murder mystery dinners, escape room, putt-putt bar crawls, wiffle ball tournament, 3 point shootout, and even a date auction. There are events for all ages that also help benefit many businesses throughout the county. For the 11th Annual SOC in 2022, yearly contributor/collaborator Tony Marcolini constructed the Official Stamp Out Cancer “traveling trophy”. The team that raises the most each year has their name added to it and gets to take it home for a year. While Montgomery County is the true winner every year, taking home some hardware is always fun.
The Stamp Out Team has also held other events of their own. For a few years they hosted a “Zombie 5k”, where participants had to navigate through hordes of zombies. They have hosted multiple Pop Culture Trivia nights and Poker Tournaments. For many years there was a Stamp Out Cancer float in the Old Settlers Days parade that featured a live band on it. Stamp Out Cancer has even had their own beer at Opera House Brewing Company called the “Stamps Wygale”. The team also partnered with Be the Match and held a bone marrow donor registry drive that signed up over 100 new potential life savers. A few years after, one of the donors from the event answered the call and saved a life.
At the heart of it all, since day one, is the cause at hand. All money raised goes to the Montgomery County Cancer Association. The MCCA is a true non-profit. There are no overhead costs or big CEO salaries. Everyone that is a part of the MCCA is a volunteer. Most of the money that is used goes towards direct patient financial assistance. Bills can pile up while having medical problems so every little bit helps. The MCCA also offers scholarships, where the potential recipients must volunteer 50 hours a year in order to earn it. This helps build future volunteers and leaders. Money is also donated to local rural hospitals to help with equipment. For many in the area, they must travel to either St. Louis or Springfield for treatment so anything that can be done locally is beneficial. Sometimes, though, travel is necessary. Not only will the MCCA help with mileage reimbursement they will also give rides to and from treatment. It’s hard to think about but many could be going through cancer alone. Having someone to go with you, sit with you during treatment, is something you can’t put a monetary value on.
Still to this day the SOC team goes by their basic core principles. Tickets have not risen over $25, which is a bargain for the hours of entertainment that comes with it. Anyone can attend as long as they have a ticket. Every dollar helps. In 2024 Stamp Out Cancer surpassed the $1,000,000 total raised milestone for the MCCA. This is thanks to the over 100 past participants, or SOC Alumni, as well as the countless businesses and individuals that have contributed. The motto for the MCCA is “Montgomery County citizens taking care of citizens of Montgomery County”. The success of Stamp Out Cancer is a perfect example.
Meet the SOC Team
The Stamp Out Cancer team consists of brothers, sisters, and SOC Alumni from around Montgomery County. They are:
(Front Row L-R) Dana Holshouser, Renee Laughlin, Kelsey Flack (2017)
(Back Row L-R) Zach Wygal (2011), Theressa Priddle (2018), Cory Evans (2016), Michelle Hill (2015), Chris Wygal
(not pictured – Seth Watson)
Past team members include Lesley Pollard, Stacie Wygal, Jeremy Schmidt, and Heather Greenwood (2015).
Designer of all things SOC (shirts, posters, koozies, press passes, you name it) – Chris Reynolds
(year denotes alumni and year participated)
