Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Festival offers much for locals and visitors
One of my goals as County Executive is to see Lawrence County become more of a tourist destination. The Chamber of Commerce is our “boots on the ground” agency for tourism, so local government helps fund their efforts.
The State of Tennessee also assists. Most recently, a state grant funded a state-of-the-art sound system for the historic Crockett Theatre. The South Central Tennessee Tourism Association also works for us and surrounding counties.
Still, government can only do so much to help tourism. We depend on private enterprise to provide things for visitors to do and see. This weekend’s Arts & Music Festival at Brier Hill Farm is a great example of a local business doing just that, and I am thrilled to help promote it.
Musicians from Nashville and Muscle Shoals and some great Lawrence County artists will perform at Steve and Lisa Grigsby’s second annual event. Craftspeople with handmade jewelry and other items will set up shop. Food trucks will offer hamburgers and hot dogs, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, lemonade, fried pies and more.
The Grigsby farm offers a heaping helping of beautiful Tennessee scenery. The stage faces a creek bottom, where trees and hills form a natural amphitheater. It’s a great acoustical setting so visitors can enjoy music and conversation at the same time.
Walker’s Branch, also called the “Little Buffalo” because it feeds into the headwaters of the Buffalo River, borders one side of the property. “Bring your wading shoes,” Steve says. It’s a family-friendly event with children under age 12 admitted free. Well-behaved pets on leashes are also welcome.
Primitive camping spots on the creek and in a nearby pecan grove are free with ticket purchase. Visitors should bring chairs, and pop-up tents to provide shade if they wish.
And now for the best part . . . the music. Steve got to know musicians to our north and south during the years he helped the late Jack Cheatwood sign up entertainment for Lawrenceburg’s Heritage Festival. I’m extremely impressed with the lineup, and encourage you to look up the artists on YouTube if you’re not familiar with them.
Gates open at 10 a.m. this Friday for food vendors and artists to set up, and music begins at 5 p.m.
The lineup begins with Kenny Brown, a blues slide guitarist who was mentored by famous bluesmen ‘Mississippi Joe’ Callicott and R.L. Burnside. Next up is Max Russell and the Shakedown Kings, performing a mix that includes country, rock, blues and jazz. Instrumentalist Taylor Cheatwood, who local audiences watched grow up onstage, will be featured with Russell.
Friday’s headliner is the Lamont Landers Band, recently featured on Fox television’s Showtime at the Apollo, hosted by Steve Harvey. Landers’ soulful vocals are a surprise (YouTube) and his extensive song list includes hits by Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, and Al Green.
Saturday’s music begins at 12 with Nashville singers/songwriters Wynn Varble and Mark Alan Springer. Varble’s hits include his most recent #1, “I’m a Little More Country,” recorded by Easton Corbin. Springer’s career began a little earlier – his first hit was in 1993 when Tanya Tucker recorded “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane.” Kenny Chesney’s “When I Close My Eyes” is one of his more recent hits.
Next up on Saturday is TBone Daniels & Friends. TBone is an accomplished guitar and fiddle player known throughout this region. Luke and Lisa Richardson will join him onstage: Luke is an old-time ‘clawhammer’ banjo player who’s won national contests and performed all over the U.S. and Europe. In England he met his future wife, Lisa, a classically-trained violinist who agreed to move back to Lawrence County with him.
John Byrd & Byrd Auto Parts will perform classic country next, followed by the Northern Lights of Nashville, Tennessee, known for their smooth three-part harmonies. The headliner for Saturday night is Rob Aldridge & the Proponents. Local audiences may remember that Aldridge opened for John Paul White at the Crockett Theatre during last year’s Bicentennial Festival. Aldridge and his band have a reputation for hard-hitting, original rock songs.
Please join me this weekend at Brier Hill Farm located at 21 Brier Hill, Ethridge, in the heart of Amish Country. Brier Hill turns off the Henryville Road (Hwy. 242), just past Barton’s Tires. Tickets are available at BrierhillFarmFestival.eventbrite.com.
“It’s a community event,” Steve says. The Henryville Fire Department is helping out at the gate and with parking. He thanks the Chamber and Tourism Director Rachel Grigsby for their help, along with the City of Lawrenceburg and Lawrence County.
