The Chase Sanford Band

 Click on the supplied links in green for many photos of this day. There are also links to many of the vendors and sponsors, and more will be added soon.

The National Forestry Service has shut down Lake Fannin. The lake that was our former Speaker of the House, Mr. Sam Rayburn’s, legacy! And Fannin County residents and users of the lake are working hard to keep it viable and active. To help this cause along, they presented a fundraising festival Saturday, June 21, that included local and regional live music, vendors galore, a motorcycle stunt man, and cooked-on-the premises great BBQ. Maybe even more. 

That “even more” started it all off, actually, with a singing contest. 104.3 FM, The River, KFYN,of Paris, held it’s Country Showdown contest, with Trey Carter hosting five contestants. It was Lauren Taylor, 22, of Cooper who took the win on this, with stout competition from Gene Tobin of Dallas, Allison Trusty of Trenton, Colton Black of Mesquite, and Chelsea Heat of Savoy. Lauren will be advancing to the text level of the largest country music, nationwide contest, which was won last year by McKinney’s Crystal Yates, who was also sponsored by a Paris radio station.

Judges for this contest were multi-platinum and gold award winning singer/songwriter Tony Ramey; KXII meteorologist Wava Denito; and area musician/guitarist extraordinaire Merrol Ray, who’s former band Miles From Nowhere took top honors in the KHYI Shiner Rising Star contest. And, one might add, who has just released his newest CD project, which is being played on 104.3 radio.

For Country Music Showdown contestant photos, click here:

Volunteers manned at least two entry locations, with the aforethought to charge an additional fee for coolers, rather than apply for a beer license. They also had the aforethought to check fan-goers’ IDs and to provide Over 21 and Younger Than 21 armbands to help control underage drinking. And there certainly didn’t seem to be any problem with that. This was a completely family-friendly event, with kids allowed to run and play in the dirt in safety. Volunteers also provided the musicians — mostly volunteers themselves, with great hospitality backstage. And all that took sponsorships, which these volunteers also went out and gathered up. Hostess and producer Cristyn Manhart continually read off the names of those various sponsors, but this photographer was busy holding a camera upward to get them written down. One was Bob Utter Ford, with friendly representatives showing several of their latest model vehicles. Also, the organizers held a live auction, with great items offered up to help raise more money to save Lake Fannin, including stays at local bed and breakfast inn and a guitar signed by Texas music artist Chris Knight, who played later on.

For photos of many activities of the day, click here:

Maneuver Motorsports set up for two exciting exhibitions of motorcycle daredevil stunts. Co-owner Daniel Weeks worked solo, wowing the audience with every lift-off, aerobatics, and set-down. 

For photos of the motorcycle activities, click here:

Maneuver Motorsports

And the music — WOW! This music lover is — and has always — been so impressed with the quality of local musicianship, and this day was not a disappointment! Charlie Manhart and his son, Austin Manhart, opened the day’s music stage with some incredible guitar licks. Colton Gilbreath, from the Bonham area and also an incredible guitar picker, played solo and sang some of his original songs along with a couple of cover tunes. The Chase Sanford Band, also North Texas based, gave a 1.5-hour stellar show, amazing in itself, but also amazing in their energy after sharing a stage the night before with Oklahoma’s Stoney LaRue and then setting up the stage and sound equipment for Save Lake Texoma Fest.

And then, closing the night down, was the always-great Chris Knight, sporting a new full-growth beard and playing his unique, self-penned music. It was amazing to see this nationwide-traveler in such a tiny town as Ivanhoe, and that wasn’t lost on the crowd. They pulled the moshing right up to stage front in appreciation of Chris Knight and his being at the fest.

For The Manharts’ photos, click here:

For Colton Gilbreath photos, click here:

For Chase Sanford Band photos, click here:

For Chris Knight photos, click here:

Look for more fun activities from this dedicated group of volunteers. Click here to connect with their Facebook page.

Rod’s chair left in memoriam of the man who created a world for thousands to claim.

Sunday morning started off with about 30 minutes of rain. Now, to most folks, that wouldn’t seem out of the ordinary, but those who know Kerrville Festivals’ founder and producer Rod Kennedy, know he was known as Rod the Rainmaker by the Kerrville townspeople. So often during the festivals, it would rain. A simple explanation of that. Then, when Kennedy died, 4/14/14, it was early that Monday morning, and a downpour hit the Hill Country only minutes after his death. It stopped and the sun came out for the rest of the great day.

Sunday, at this year’s festival, marked the last of several memorials being held in Rod Kennedy’s honor, and some of those wondered, even suspected, that the person they were all still grieving over had announced, again, he was still on the grounds.

In fact, at the memorial concert, one songwriter wrote a song about (I can’t remember the words exactly) turning around once heaven is reached and coming back to earth as rain. Me? I’m remembering the words that David Halley wrote decades ago in a song, “Rain don’t fall for the flowers when it falls… rain just falls.”

There were poems read and songs sung, some humorous and some more serious, but all tributes in their own styles.

For photos of the Rod Kennedy Tribute, click here:

The evening concert was incredible. Chuck Pyle opened it up, and he’s always a treat to listen to. Such an artist. If you don’t know much about him, look him up. You’ll be amazed at the hits he’s written.

For Chuck Pyle pix, click here:  (P.S. There’s a few also in the Larry Joe Taylor pic file)

Bobby Bridger pulled off a set without a single pause in his tribute to the Native American Indian and their unique culture. Bobby told me that incredible guitar picker with him was the legendary John Inmon.

For Bobby Bridger pix, click here:

David Amram, perhaps the world’s most versatile and talented musician EVER in the history of music. At 83 years of age, this New Yorker who put a Texas-sounding name on his homestead, is still as talented as he ever was. And a regular each year at the Kerrville Festival, as he is at the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah, Okla., each year. He brought a young, extremely talented band with him, four men from across the good ol’ U.S.A. and calling themselves simply The Amigos. What a combination of talent on stage.

For David Amram & The Amigos pix, click here

And lastly, Larry Joe Taylor closed it all out with the North Texas style that he features throughout his own festival. It was the first time that this band has played this festival, although they had been there a few years before at a Kerrville fall festival. Also, Larry Joe Taylor was a former New Folk contestant, something he remembered well. After the night ended, and when asking several people who their favorite new-to-them-band was, it was this LJT band mentioned most often. In other words, they garnered a multitude of new fans that Sunday night. Way to go, guys!

For LJT band pix, including Dave Perez and Chuck Pyle, click here

And just a few pix for the road.

For this festival goer, the highlight of the day was the staff concert. This began about 30 years ago when the festival producer, Rod Kennedy, and some others involved realized just how many talented musicians come to the festival to work as volunteers, and were giving their all in their various positions. The staff concert gives a chance for the audience to also see this side of these amazing people.

Near the end of the concert, Saturday afternoon, a special volunteer was recognized as the best on his or her particular work crew, nominated by their various crew chiefs. Most were on hand to be recognized, and most had been there all three weeks of this year’s festival.

For photos from the staff concert, click here:

Albert & Gage

Albert & Gage, a duo for the past 17 years, brought with them a bass player and drummer to round out a full band sound that closed out Saturday’s main stage. Christine Albert began working with Chris Gage when he joined her band temporarily 17 years ago, and from there they have continued to grow and expand their artistic accomplishments to also record production, writing, and much more. For a band who has traveled the world together to come back home to Kerrville Festivals was a full circle trip, as this wasn’t their first time on the Kerrville stages.

For Albert & Gage photos, click here.

For photos of other bands and a few crowd shots, click here