Yellowknife (Aug 11/06) - This weekend, the Yellowknife music community will gather to help one of its fondest friends.

The Top Knight will host an open mike in honour of Yellowknife musician, producer, magician, actor, sound man and comedian Rick Poltaruk this Saturday at 9 p.m.

Yellowknifers will gather at the Top Knight tomorrow night to raise money for Rick Poltaruk. The Yellowknife musical mainstay is undergoing treatment for an unspecified medical condition. - NNSL file photo

The money raised will go to aid Poltaruk, who is being treated out of town for an unspecified medical condition.

Organizer Lynn Brooks said she and friends have already raised around $6,000 privately, and hopes they can raise "a few thousand more," to cover the rest of Poltaruk's treatment.

"I've known Rick for more than 20 years," Brooks said of her reasons for getting involved. "He's been a part of our family forever, and we love him."Barb Ellen, another long-time friend of Rick's, said she has been taken aback by the feedback the event has received.

"It's been wonderful. I have yet to come up against anyone that was unsympathetic," she said.

"It's amazing how just being a working musician in this town, how many lives you touch."

Musician and Recording Artists' Association of the NWT president Stephen Pretty has been busy organizing the night's lineup, which is still up in the air.

"We've been calling it an open mike, so there's no way to know for sure who's going to show up," he said.

"I know that I'm playing for sure. Azure DeGrow, Pat Braden, Northern Skies and Jen Walden.

Those are a few."

"Rick's a friend of mine, and he's been incredibly supportive of my music and of me as a person," said Jen Walden, a Yellowknife musician and artist. "It's something that I can do to give back."

"It's all part of the job," Pat Braden said. "People step up to the plate when people need help. It's a pretty easy thing to do, go out there and play some tunes.

I'm looking forward to it."

"He's always been really helpful to me, so it's nice to help him back," Azure DeGrow said.

Poltaruk is a former president of RAANT, is the man behind Dancing Sky Studios, has toured the country as a stand-up comedian and performer, has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, hosts local jams and fronts Rick and the Relics, a popular blues and rock band.

"He's touched a lot of people in this town," Brooks said. "He is a lovely guy and he is definitely worth the effort."

"He's given so much. It's basically what goes around comes around."

Poltaruk could not be reached for comment before the show, but Ellen did read an e-mail the musician wrote in response to the outpouring of support he has received."When God wants to humble someone, He just needs to remind them how much they are loved," he wrote. "I have no idea why I deserve this outpouring, but I receive it and will keep it in my heart always."