By Pam Dudding, Contributing Writer
Craig County, like every small town or big city, has endured nearly two years of lockdowns, uncertainty and hardship. Entertainment has been a rarity at best and people are extremely tired of their four walls.
Rob Senter of Senter Farms, LLC shared, “During the last year and a half, we’ve seen cancellation of so many local and regional events. I think that people yearn for a restoration of normalcy and something local that entire families can attend. I felt that a nice outdoor country music concert would be something people would enjoy.”
Senter placed his thoughts on Facebook, not realizing how much buzz they would generate. Within a couple of days, he received a couple hundred ideas and suggestions on his page, and the event was on go.
“Initially, I considered having the concert at our farm, figuring that a mere handful of people might support it. I did not anticipate the number of people who expressed interest in attending,” he noted. “Within a couple of days, I realized that I not only needed to bring the event to fruition quickly, but that we would need a lot more parking.”
Senter felt that the event needed a “name,” as – if successful – he and other sponsors may want to make the concert an annual event.
“By September, nearly every farmer and back-yard gardener has harvested their crop – and all deserve a good break,” he said. “In that respect, the ‘Harvest Concert Series’ seemed the best fit.”
Music already has been confirmed.
Our Craig County local, Taylore Price, will be opening the show at around 5:45 p.m. She will be followed by the headline event by the Travis Reigh Band, a Roanoke-area country music band. David Givens will be running the sound and lighting.
Food vendors onsite will be Cabo Taco Food Truck and a BBQ vendor. A tent with water and sodas will be set up for purchase. No outside alcohol will be allowed.
The concert will be held at the Craig County Fairgrounds and gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Adult admission is $7.00 while children ten and under can get it for free.
Senter added that a portion of the proceeds will go toward staffing and fundraising of the volunteer department(s) that will be participating in the event.
Rusty Zimmerman, owner of Zimmerman’s Equipment, Inc. is a co-sponsor of the event.
“We have been working on the logistics and brainstorming ways to make this concert a hit,” Senter shared. “The Fairgrounds Association has been very helpful, as has Jim Cady’s directives on what emergency service staffing would be necessary.”
Bad weather may require event rescheduling. If so, it will be announced on social media.
This is an outside event, so everyone needs to bring a lawn chair or something to sit on.
Come and enjoy a relaxing evening in Craig County, ending under the starry night.
