Join us for Bittersweet Festival, held in downtown Mt Vernon on October 4-5, 2024. Each year features food vendors, craft booths, kid’s activities, live music, and more.
If interested in becoming a Food or Craft Vendor, contact the City of Mount Vernon at 606-256-3437.
Join us as the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame welcomes Black Stone Cherry, Rodney Griffin, Bobby Mackey, Paul Martin, Jimmy Mattingly, The McLain Family Band, Billy Moore, Ruble Sanderson, Sturgill Simpson, Charlie Sizemore, and Gary Stewart into the Class of 2024. The Induction Ceremony will take place on October 26, 2024, at Renfro Valley Entertainment Center. Tickets are available to the public for purchase starting Friday, March 1st at 10:00 AM at www.renfrovalley.com.
Sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Jessica at kentuckymusichalloffame@gmail.com or calling 606-256-1000.
Friday After Five on Main Street in Downtown Mt. Vernon, Kentucky
Free Non-Judged Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Show on Main Street
Cornhole Tournament
Kid’s Activities with Rockcastle Arts Association
Live Music Each Month
May 18th: Donovan Howard Trio
June 21st: Driftwood Gypsy
July 19th: Bill Taylor & The Appalachian Heatherns
Everything kicks off at 6:00 PM.
Friday After Five on Main Street in Downtown Mt. Vernon, Kentucky
Free Non-Judged Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Show on Main Street
Cornhole Tournament
Kid’s Activities with Rockcastle Arts Association
Live Music Each Month
May 18th: Donovan Howard Trio
June 21st: Driftwood Gypsy
July 19th: Bill Taylor & The Appalachian Heatherns
Everything kicks off at 6:00 PM.
Mark your calendars for our 4th Annual Kentucky Food Truck State Championship in Renfro Valley, Kentucky on September 14, 2024. In 2023, we had 36 Food Trucks competing to win category prizes, as well as the $5,000 cash prize for Grand Champion! Over 10,000 attended in 2023, which included 36 food truck vendors, 30 craft vendors, live music, and Children’s activities. We plan to have an even bigger championship planned for 2024.
On March 21st, 2024, the Dirt Band will kick off the first leg of their last traditionally scheduled gigs, ALL THE GOOD TIMES: The Farewell Tour. No need to fret, this isn’t goodbye forever, but it will be the last fans see of multi-city runs and long bus rides from the group that helmed the multi-artist Will The Circle Be Unbroken series that featured the likes of Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Levon Helm, and dozens more.
“‘All The Good Times’ perfectly describes our career,” said the band in a statement this week. “Playing our music for Dirt Band fans all over the world has been an incredible experience for us. The most important part of that has been the connection to our audience—that beautiful communal give and take is like nothing else. That’s the very spirit we’ll be celebrating as we head into our farewell tour. We really look forward to seeing you folks. Good times will be had by all!”
ABOUT NITTY GRITTY DIRT BAND
With a refreshed lineup and newfound energy, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, featuring founding members Jeff Hanna (lead vocals, guitar) and Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica, vocals); Bob Carpenter (keys, vocals)—a member of the band since 1979; Jim Photoglo (bass, vocals); Jaime Hanna (guitar, vocals); and Ross Holmes (fiddle, harmonica, vocals); remains one of the most accomplished bands in American roots music.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played their first gig in 1966 in Southern California as a jug band and by 1969 had become a cornerstone of the burgeoning country-rock community. Their career breakthrough came in 1970 with the release of the record Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy and the single “Mr. Bojangles,” a folksy Top 10 pop hit that brought folk music to the national forefront. In 1972, they released the first of three groundbreaking Will The Circle Be Unbroken records, collaborating with many of the best bluegrass, Country, and folk artists in the world. The band also has enjoyed vast success on the U.S. Country charts with hits like “Fishin’ In The Dark,” “Modern Day Romance,” and “Stand A Little Rain.” Their latest album, Dirt Does Dylan—released in 2022—has received widespread critical acclaim.
For Taylor Hicks, winning “American Idol’s” blockbuster fifth season was just the beginning. Hailed as “part Stax, part Motown and part honky-tonk” by The New York Times, Hicks’ intoxicating blend of soul, blues, country, and rock ‘n’ roll quickly rendered him a household name as he progressed to the show’s record-breaking finale in 2006, a historic television event which drew an audience of more than 200 million viewers. Hicks immediately followed his “American Idol” victory with a No. 1 Billboard single and an RIAA®-certified platinum debut, and soon went on to make history as both the first male “American Idol” champion featured on a GRAMMY-winning record (Jimmy Fallon’s Blow Your Pants Off), and the first to land a prestigious Las Vegas residency. A versatile artist, actor and advocate, Hicks has since ventured into theater, television and film, starring in Serenbe Playhouse’s 2019 production of “Shenandoah,” touring as Teen Angel in the popular Broadway musical “Grease” in addition to appearing on “Law & Order: SVU” and hosting the INSP series “State Plate,” which won the Cynopsis TV Award for Best Reality Series (Travel). Hicks’ passion for southern cuisine led him back to his native Alabama, where he opened up SAW’s Juke Joint, a restaurant crowned one of the “25 Best Barbecue Spots in America” by Men’s Journal.
The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum will be hosting a Quilt Show on Saturday, February 17th from 10:00am-5:00pm. There is no charge to enter your quilts and each applicant can enter up to 2 quilts. They will have two categories, youth (17 & Under) and Adult (18 and Older) Guests will vote for their favorite quilt and we will have a winner in each category. Winner’s will take home a $100.00 cash prize.
There will be a Quilting Circle that day that anyone is welcome to join. We will also have Quilting Related Vendors on hand that day and Door Prize Giveaways!
Admission for guests is $5.00 per person (Children 5 & Under is Free)
If you would like an application to show a quilt, you can pick them up at the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Front Desk or request an application via email at kentuckymusichalloffame@gmail.com or lesliekmhof@gmail.com
The Oak Ridge Boys’ Down Home Christmas Tour Comes To RENFRO VALLEY!
Theirs is one of the most distinctive and timeless sounds in the country music industry, and now The Oak Ridge Boys are bringing their Down Home Christmas Tour to Renfro Valley on December 1st, 2023 for an unforgettable night of holiday entertainment for the entire family.
The show will feature both traditional and contemporary songs from the group’s eight bestselling Christmas albums, as well as some of their classic country-pop hits, beautiful visuals, Christmas trees, falling snow—and a Visit from Santa!
The group has scored dozens of country hits and two pop smashes, earned Grammy, Dove, CMA, and ACM awards, and garnered a host of other industry and fan accolades. Every time they step before an audience, they bring decades of charted singles and 50 years of tradition to the stage.
“When I go on stage, I get the same feeling I had the first time I sang with The Oak Ridge Boys,” says lead singer Duane Allen. “This is the only job I’ve ever wanted to have.”
“Nobody does Christmas quite like The Oak Ridge Boys,” says tenor Joe Bonsall.
Allen and Bonsall, along with baritone, William Lee Golden, and bass, Richard Sterban, make up The Oak Ridge Boys, the legendary group whose appeal crosses generations.
Together they have earned 12 gold, three platinum, and one double platinum album—plus a double platinum single—and had more than a dozen national Number One singles and over 30 Top Ten hits—with more than 41 million records sold! Some of their best-known hits include “Elvira,” “Thank God for Kids,” “Bobbie Sue,” and “American Made,” among many others.
