“It was like the stars aligned.”
I’ve never heard plans for a music festival described that way, but my friend Steve Grigsby said it when we talked about an upcoming event at Brier Hill Farm.
Grigsby and Mark Harris produced 2017, 2018, and 2019 music festivals at Grigsby’s Ethridge farm. After the disappointments of 2020, the partners wanted to do something special in 2021.
“We wanted to do a one-day event and give the proceeds to a local charity. We had talked about several different things . . . .”
Enter Tim Dickey, a longtime friend whose son Jason, a Lawrenceburg Fireman, lost his life on the job February 12, 2018.
“Tim came by to see me, and we were talking about a lot of different things. He told me Lawrence County had been so good to his family, and he wanted to give something back in Jason’s name. He was thinking about a scholarship fund for EMT training.”
“I told him we were looking for a really, really good cause, and a reason to have an annual event.”
The alignment didn’t end there. Grigsby and Harris discussed potential dates, concluding August is too hot and late September is too close to the Fair. They picked the second Saturday in September without realizing it’s the 11th, the 20th anniversary of terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Centers and a day we honor First Responders like Jason.
This September 11, we can support the Jason Dickey Memorial Scholarship Fund and enjoy great music as well. Tickets are $10 each, and all proceeds will help educate more Lawrence County First Responders. I can’t think of a more appropriate cause.
Gates at 21 Brier Hill Road open at noon for those who want to enjoy lunch before the music begins. The lineup includes:
Randy Hartsfield & the Dixie Mafia, 2:00 p.m. Hartsfield is an incredible guitarist; he and the Dixie Mafia can play all your favorites.
Pat Bergeson & Annie Selleck, 5:30 p.m. Bergeson has performed with Chet Atkins and other stars; Selleck is his wife and well-known jazz singer.
Fathers & Sons Band with guitarists Will McFarlane and Kelvin Holley, 8 p.m. McFarlane was a member of Bonnie Raitt’s band, and was inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame in Nashville for his work with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Holley was a member of Little Richard’s band for 20 years.
I know I’m looking forward to the music and the opportunity to support a great cause. I hope the stars align and you can be there, too.
