Shriners Benefit Concert Festival: a Memorial Weekend Success
By: Rusty Wise – Wise News Network
Vale, NC (WNN) – The 2024 Memorial Day weekend started off with stars and hits from Country, Bluegrass, Gospel and Americana on Saturday May 25th. The Shriners Hospitals for Children Music Fest was held at Woodmill Winery in Vale NC unveiling their new outdoor concert venue Woodmill Music Works complete with a covered stage, rear artist area and concession building.
The event which has not been held since 2019 was a joint benefit program put on by the Cherryville Shrine Club, Lincoln County Shrine Club and the Oasis Pickers. Proceeds for the event would go to the Greenville SC Children’s Hospital per the evening announcement.
All the Shriners were instrumental in shuttling guests to and from their cars and the music venue. They also prepared and served the food in the concession stand which ranged from hotdogs, hamburgers and barbecue which did not disappoint. For dessert everyone could indulge in a sweet treat from a food truck that was onsite. Woodmill Winery had pineapple and strawberry wine slushies for purchase during the night as well.
The night’s emcee was the very popular Shriner Pete Craft from Cherryville. Craft entertained the crowd between shows with his humorous statements and witty jokes. Craft even made his way on stage during the popular “Jordan” hit song to sing along to the crowds’ amusement. Also, during a break an award was given to Shriner Russell Wingfield for his commitment to the Shriners Organization.ย
The evening started off with solo artist Josh Daniel picking some original hits and cover tunes. Darin Aldridge playing the mandolin accompanied Daniel on the “Melody” and “Rambling Man” tunes.ย
Next on the schedule were Darin and Brooke Aldridge of Cherryville NC. The dynamic duo belted tunes from covers, originals to their latest #1 album Talk of the Town. The “Price I Pay” and “A Million Memories” songs were crowd favorites off the new album. Also playing with the Aldridge’s was four-time Grammy instrumentalist and fiddle player Andy Leftwich. The evening was warm and Leftwich played the fiddle so fast that smoke might have been coming from it.
The headliner for the evening was the Country Music Hall of Famer Jimmy Fortune. Fortune, who had heart surgery last year, didn’t miss a beat with his strong tenor vocals and was accompanied by Darin and Brook Aldridge as well as the entire Aldridge band. “‘m blessed to be able to have the best in the business singing and playing along with me tonight” stated Fortune. The Country Museum Hall of Fame member Fortune sang and performed with the Statler Brothers for 21 years before going into a solo career. A crowd favorite was “Elizabeth”, a #1 Statler Brothers hit song written by Fortune.ย
Ending the evening was a tribute to all the veterans in attendance by singing a montage of patriot music with the veterans standing in front facing the audience. This is what Memorial Day is all about; great music, great people, and great honor for a worthy cause.ย
For more video news stories visit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wisenewsnetwork
For more articles and news stories visit: https://wisenewsnetwork.com
Contact us at: [email protected]
Copyright 2024 Wise News Network. All rights reserved.