RICHMOND — Among the military flyovers and special guest speakers, more than 20 musicians and bands will provide entertainment this weekend at the four-day Kentucky Veterans Welcome Home Celebration at Battlefield Park.
Country star Aaron Tippin, whose first single, “You’ve Got to Stand for Something,” cracked the top 10 in 1991 and allowed him to entertain the troops in the Persian Gulf with Bob Hope, will be Saturday’s headline performer.
Tippin, whose patriotic anthem, “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly,” became a hit in the wake of 9/11, will hit the stage at 9 p.m.
Earlier in the day, popular country singer Janie Fricke will perform at 3:30 p.m., just prior to the 5 p.m. welcome and recognition of the veterans.
Fricke had six number one hits in the early 1980s, including “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me Baby,” “It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy,” and “Tell Me a Lie.”
The big draw on Friday will be the honky-tonk styling of The Confederate Railroad, who have sold nearly 5 million albums with hits such as “Queen Of Memphis,” “Trashy Women,” and “Jesus And Mama.”
Named the Academy of Country Music’s Best New Group in 1993 and a multi-Grammy nominated band, The Confederate Railroad will conclude the night with their 9 p.m. concert.
Their current line-up includes vocalist/guitarist Danny Shirley, drummer Mark DuFresne, bassist Wayne Secrest, Gates Nichols on steel guitar and vocals, lead guitarist Jimmy Dormire and keyboardist/vocalist Cody McCarver.
“I think it’s going to be great,” Aaron Francis, stage manager/coordinator, said about the lineup. “There’s a lot of bluegrass and country, but there’s also a group of young guys from Berea called 12 Gauge that are high-school age and they have more of a southern rock feel to them.”
Fans also will be able to meet their favorite star at an autograph booth, he said.
“The big names have been very generous,” Francis said. “I’ve been e-mailing back and forth Aaron Tippin’s people and Confederate Railroad. Janie Fricke calls personally asking about her stage gear and things. So, they’ve really been user-friendly and not all big stars. It’s going to be a blast. I can’t wait.”
One local up-and-coming country musician also will have the opportunity to open up for Tippin on Saturday.
With his band Sugarcane, Tim Hellard, 35, of Berea, will perform at 7:30 p.m. The 1989 Madison Southern graduate is used to big crowds.
He has previously opened for Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton, Jo Dee Messina, Billy Currington and other country stars.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “This is something I really wanted to do — anything to contribute. I headline a Sept. 11 benefit every year in Lexington. Anytime you have the opportunity to open up for somebody who is big and it’s for a good cause, I’m there every time.”
A music lover since he was a kid, Hellard started playing drums when he was 10, guitar at age 14 and he started singing at 20.
During the past year and a half, he has been making three trips a week to Nashville to play music and meet with publishing companies, record companies and music producers.
Hellard’s Web site — www.myspace.com/timhellard — has had 500 to 700 daily downloads of his music.
While the winner of the 2005 Battle of the Bands at Austin City Saloon in Lexington has not met Tippin yet, he has plans to pick him up to lift weights together when he gets in town.
“I’d love to write something with him,” Hellard said. “It’s exciting to be able to just hang out with him.”
Other musicians scheduled include: Thursday, Josh Logan, Jim Miller, 12 Gauge, John Russell, Basics and former Miss Kentucky and 2000 Miss American Heather French; Friday, Dan Brock, Nora Lee Gill, Bradlee Burtner, Sandy Creek Boys and the Hasty Street Band; Saturday, Nora Lee Gill, Liberty Zion, Brad Burchett, Journeymen, Brandy Norman and Scott Johnson; and Sunday, Madison Central Band.
For a complete schedule of events for the Kentucky Veterans Welcome Home Celebration, go to www.kentuckyveteranswelcomehome.com.
Bryan Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@richmondregister.com or 624-6691.
Local News
Big names to perform at veterans celebration
- Local News
-
-
‘She wasn’t just a teacher’ : Lambert retires after 43 years at Berea
Scroll to the bottom of the story to read "Love for Lambert: Berea graduates share memories of their teacher," as well as a list of other Berea retirees this year.
Writer’s Note: Brenda Lambert is the reason I write articles today (Class of 2000).
Years ago, a little blonde-haired girl from Rockcastle County gathered her friends to “play school” in a 10-by-10 foot playhouse her father built.
Even at 12 years old, Brenda Lambert knew she wanted to be a teacher one day.
“I always felt like an old person trapped in a young person's body,” said Lambert, who is retiring after 43 years of service to Berea Community School. -
Special Olympics return for 18th year at EKU
Next weekend, the Special Olympics Kentucky State Summer Games return to Eastern Kentucky University campus. This is the 18th consecutive year EKU has hosted the event.
The games will be Friday through June 2. About 1,300 athletes will compete this year. -
Assault charges reduced, dismissed by grand jury
Two men arrested in connection with serious assaults had their charges reduced, and in one case dismissed, by a Madison grand jury.
Jerry Wayne Edington, 34, of Berea Road, was charged Jan. 19 with second-degree assault after an altercation at the Blue Moon bar on East Irvine Street, according to a Richmond police report. -
Dump of the Day
The Dump of the Day is a recurring series the newspaper publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Page A7 in Sunday's paper to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.
-
Paradise Cove open through Labor Day
Opening day of Paradise Cove Family Aquatic Center coincided with a spike in temperatures Friday which reached 90 degrees. The facility, located in Richmond’s Lake Reba Park, will be open through Sept. 3. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday.
-
Dump of the Day
An old mattress, a car seat and other debris sit Friday afternoon on North Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets where it was first spotted Thursday. The “Dump of the Day” is a recurring series the Richmond Register publishes to highlight illegal trash piles and push local governments to cite perpetrators and get illegal dumps cleaned up. See Sunday’s Richmond Register to read a copy of the city’s ordinance related to trash pickup.
-
Undefeated academic team brings pride to Madison Middle School
Madison Middle School 6th and 7th grade academic teams have been undefeated for the last two years.
The 8th grade team also has done well, having some students qualify to compete at the state level. -
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
-
Man is indicted on additional sex charge involving teen in 1998
A man already accused of sex abuse in November 2011 has been indicted on a charge of first-degree rape involving a child in 1998.
Charles W. Peyton, 63, of East Irvine Street, was indicted Wednesday by a Madison grand jury. He used “forcible compulsion” to have sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl between March 1 and May 1 in 1998, according to the indictment. -
Woman fends off burglar with knife
A Berea woman used a kitchen knife to fend off an alleged burglar early Wednesday morning, and police say they were able to catch the man in the act.
Officers responded to a call in the 1000 block of Scaffold Cane Road about a man trying to break into a home, according to a release from BPD Public Information Officer Jake Reed. - More Local News Headlines
-
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
