SHIRTS FOR A
The Day a Rock Band Saved a Yogurt Company
Grateful for Great Friends
Back in 1972, the Springfield Creamery (makers of Nancy's Yogurt) was struggling financially. The owners, Chuck and Sue Kesey, knew they’d need to get creative so Chuck hopped in his van and drove to Marin County, California, to ask some old friends of his brother, author Ken Kesey, if they’d play a concert and help keep Springfield Creamery afloat. The Grateful Dead agreed, and 20,000 Deadheads descended on tiny Veneta, Oregon for the show (forever memorialized in the film Sunshine Daydream). Posters were hand-drawn, and tickets - $3 in advance or $3.50 at the gate - were printed on Nancy’s Yogurt labels. The event raised $12,000, and Springfield Creamery survived.
Giving Back
Here we are 50 years after that magical day in 1972, with three generations of the Kesey family and about 65 other dedicated folks at Springfield Creamery, honored to be crafting healthy, probiotic food including our flagship Nancy’s Yogurt. It is not lost on us that this cultural continuity is owed to an unlikely union formed a half century ago, when the Grateful Dead offered a hand up to Springfield Creamery.
Today we give back. To commemorate the Sunshine Daydream Concert of 1972, we’re donating the proceeds from this T-shirt sale to The Rex Foundation, the Grateful Dead nonprofit charity.