Country music roots run deep in Santa Rosa County. Year after year the Farmer’s Opry House in Chumuckla has entertained guests near and far, and next week will be no different for the venue. The Opry House is bringing out some of the best pickers and grinners heard on this side of the Mississippi River. The annual Farmer’s Opry Classic Country Music Fest is returning for its third year as part of the Beaches to Woodlands Tour. Sandy Wyatt, who owns the Opry House said there will be a handful of exciting guests on stage all three days of the festival. “The quality of these pickers is just unbelievable,” Wyatt said. “To have this high a caliber of musicians on stage at one time is just phenomenal.” The three-day music fest, which starts on Thursday will feature many local pickin’ and grinnin’ bands, and even some out-of-towners. Well over a dozen performers will put on their cowboy boots to entertain including music veterans “The Nashville Million Dollar Band”. “We hired six or seven of the very best…and they are the best at what they do,” Wyatt said. “The Nashville Million Dollar Band is by far the best set of musicians we’ve had here to date” The Nashville Million Dollar Band is a group of well-known pickers and grinners including Charlie McCoy, Doug Jernigan and Becky Hinson. “When they get on stage, they do something called lock horns where they try to out-do one another,” Wyatt said. “It’s phenomenal to watch them on stage try to out-play one another.” Charlie McCoy is a former music director on the 70's music-comedy show Hee Haw and was the producer on the first two albums released by Bob Dylan. And it’s not just bands that will be lighting up the venue, but outside, the Panhandle Cruisers will be hosting a classic car show on Saturday. “We purposely hold this festival when the Peanut Festival is held so people can go to the Peanut Festival in the morning and then come here afterwards and enjoy some good music,” Wyatt said. All of the country music performances will be featured on a live video stream. The music starts at 3 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m. every night of the festival. Meals will be served throughout the day for those music festival campers. And just like the BonfireJam, RVers are encouraged to park their house on wheels at the nearby campground for the three-day festival. “We have over 200 camp sites, and we really invite people to take their campers out here,” Wyatt said. “If they stay four nights out here, they get a free seafood dinner on Wednesday night compliments of Carpenter’s Campers.” The Sawmill Band will also be back at home during the festival and will play all three days of the event. “The quality of these pickers is phenomenal,” Wyatt said. “If you turn on any country music station today, you’re likely to hear them playing all over the place.” The three-day event is alcohol free, and family friendly. Tickets for the show are $20 a day and for $11.27 more, a visitor can enjoy a county-famous Farmer’s Opry house meal.
Featured performers: The Nashville Million Dollar Band Leona Williams Ron Williams Dave Gordan Joanie Keller The Sawmill Band James Broxson Melissa Welch Kelton French Chloe Channell
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Country music fest returns