CRESTVIEW — Local musicians look forward to performing for a hometown crowd during this month’s Northwest Florida Music Festival.
Ten musical groups, including some Crestview natives, will perform during the June 20-21 event at Old Spanish Trail Park.
'Not a hobby'
Eric Melvin wants to show how far he has come: He started out performing at Crestview restaurants, but now he's playing bass guitar with the Nashville group, Favorite Sons.
“I’m personally looking forward to showing people what we are doing,” Melvin said. “… This is a top priority for all of us; it’s not a hobby.”
The band's members, who tour across the Southeast, are working on their first full-length album.
Crestview native Brian Thames, lead singer of Confederate Smoke, hopes that performing at the festival will bring more exposure.
“I’m doing this as practice for the big stages,” he said.
Thames, who joined the band earlier this year, said Confederate Smoke will cover popular country songs and feature original material.
“I’m really fired up about it,” he said of the music festival. “This is something I have wanted to do for years.”
Fundraiser
A portion of festival proceeds will benefit Children in Crisis, a nonprofit organization in Fort Walton Beach that provides shelter for abused, neglected and displaced children.
“I am a big advocate for abused children,” event organizer Sammy Collingwood said. “I grew up poor and I have been down some of those roads.”
Collingwood made it a point to ask country music singer Jason Michael Carroll to headline the festival.
“He has a song called ‘Alyssa Lies'; it’s a true story about a little girl,” he said. The song tells the story of a girl who lies to cover physical abuse she suffers at home.
“If you listen to the song, it will make you cry," Collingwood said.
Benefiting Crestview
Bringing a country music festival to Crestview has been Collingwood's passion for the past five years.
He's organized it; now he just needs people to attend it. If large numbers attend, especially from out of town, it will help the city's hotels, restaurants and gas stations.
The festival will include children’s activities such as bounce houses, inflatable slides and face painting.
Saturday will also include a motorcycle show; enthusiasts are encouraged to bring out their custom motorcycles and potentially take home a trophy.
“It’s going to take the community to help put this on the map and help up get this started,” Collingwood said.
“It’s going to do nothing but benefit Crestview."
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Northwest Florida Music Festival
WHEN: Gates open at noon June 20. Gates reopen 9 a.m. June 21
WHERE: Old Spanish Trail Park on Stillwell Boulevard in Crestview
COST: $25 for a one-day pass, $40 for two-day pass; available at northwestfloridamusicfest.com. Follow updates at facebook.com/nwfmusicfest.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Country music headlines Northwest Florida Music Fest