EATON — The 51st Annual Preble County Pork Festival is adding top entertainment from Ohio performers and groups throughout the festival weekend, Sept. 17-18, and is even bringing a country music legend to headline a Saturday evening concert at the Preble County Fairgrounds.
Complimentary grandstand performances on Saturday and Sunday of the festival will include the following musical acts:
Honey & Blue – Saturday, Sept. 17, at 1:30 p.m. — Born and raised in Ohio, Darling met Amber (a New York native) while working at the same restaurant in Los Angeles. The two were both pursuing a career in music and quickly hit it off, writing together for more than a year before forming their band. After performing all over LA, at sought-after venues like The House of Blues and The Hotel Cafe, the duo moved back to the Midwest to continue work on their first album. Once the duo arrived in Columbus they teamed up with Dwight Bailey (who has spent the last few years touring with legendary DR. John), created their self-titled first album and the rest is, as they say, history! They have had the pleasure of performing at Jazz and Ribs Festival, Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival, Columbus Arts Festival — opening for Post Modern Jukebox, Stonewall Pride Festival and closing the festival out after Martha Wash, Brite Winter Fest, and many other festivals.
Zach Neil – Saturday, Sept. 17, at 3 p.m. — Zach Neil comes from a farming family that goes back several generations. Growing up he worked on the farm, played sports and always thought he’d follow in his dad’s footsteps and continue farming. But a battle of the bands competition changed all that when his band tied for first place. “We started to get booked on a lot of fairs, festivals and rodeos and I began to feel like maybe music was something I could do for a living,” Neil said. He is currently touring through the rest of this year. He says “I love playing live, every show is different, every crowd is different. Every night is a chance to keep sharing my brand of country.”
24/7 Party Band – Sunday, Sept. 18, at 11 a.m. — Whether headlining at The Fraze, the Dayton Art Institute Oktoberfest, or other tri-state venues, this high energy, six-piece group always gets the party going according to organizers. After 14 years of rocking, this band is just warming up with songs from today, classic rock era, and dance must-haves.
Britches Down – Sunday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. — This Dayton-area country band bringing the biggest hits to the Preble County Pork Festival. Britches Down is a high energy country band playing the most popular country music to keep everyone moving and singing along.
The Growlers Band – Sunday, Sept. 18, at 3 p.m. — The Growlers are a classic rock party band performing live non-stop recognizable songs from iconic artists.
Johnny Lee to appear in concert
Look for love in all the right places at the Preble County Pork Festival with country legend Johnny Lee’s performance beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17.
General admission tickets for the concert are $15 and advance purchase is highly recommended.
Festival organizers encourage the public to enjoy a full day at the Preble County Pork Festival with food, music and shopping and then stay to attend a grandstand concert with the “Original Urban Cowboy” himself.
A member of the the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, Lee began a 10-year working relationship with Mickey Gilley at the World Famous Nightclub “Gilley’s” in Pasadena, Texas.
In 1979, Lee’s first screen role was in a 1979 television movie, “The Girls in the Office,” starring Barbara Eden and Susan St. James. He was then asked to perform in the film, “Urban Cowboy,” which starred John Travolta and Deborah Winger. The song “Lookin’ For Love ” is from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, and became Lee’s first “gold” record.
The song spent three weeks as, #1 on the Billboard Country Music Charts, and #2 on the Pop Music Charts and later became one of the Top 100 best country songs of all time.
When not traveling and performing, Lee can be seen on many celebrity hunting and fishing shows, as well as on RFD TV’s “Larrys’ Diner” and “The Homecoming.” Lee had a string of Top 10 hits including “One In A Million,” “Bet Your Heart On Me,” “Cherokee Fiddle,” “Sounds Like Love,” “Hey Bartender,” “You Could’ve Heard a Heart Break,” and more.
Onsite tickets will be available, but advance purchase is highly recommended. General admission seating will open at 6 p.m.
For more information about this year’s Pork Festival, including volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.porkfestival.org.
