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Downtown Jonesboro BBQ & Music Festival Plans Announced

Talk Business and Politics

This is a press release:

The Jonesboro Advertising and Promotion Commission’s Downtown Jonesboro BBQ and Music festival announced plans for their 9th annual event Saturday, September 30th.

Scotty McCreery, one of country music’s hottest new stars will headline this year’s event on the Ritter Communications Stage.  McCreery won the tenth season of American Idol in 2011 and has sold over 3 million albums since his debut and earned both Platinum and Gold album certifications.  After capturing the hearts of millions on American Idol, McCreery released his debut album, which became the best-selling solo album released by a country artist in 2011.  He became the youngest man and first country music artist in history to have his first album debut atop the all-genre Billboard Top 200 albums chart.  McCReery’s numerous musical awards include, American Country Awards “Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist”, CMT Music Awards “Breakthrough video of the year”, ACA’s “Artist of the year award”  and Academy of Country Music Awards “Best New Artist”.  Soon after being named “Country Music’s Sexiest Man” by the readers of NASH Country Weekly Magazine, McCreery released his first book, Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream, in May 2016.  McCreery is expected to release his upcoming album later this year.

The Festival will also include NBC’s The Voice finalist, Barrett Baber, who gave millions of viewers an unforgettable introduction to a rising new artist and entertainer on the country music scene.  Blake Shelton says, "Barrett sounds like no one else on country radio. He can be a star in country music.” On the heels of a successful US tour, Baber’s recently released full-length album A Room Full Of Fighters debuted in the top 10 on iTunes Top 100 Album Charts, and is featured in Walmart’s nationwide as part of Coca-Cola's summer campaign for 2017.

In recent years the festival has seen Brett Michaels, Brothers Osbourn, The Commodores, Lee Brice, 38 Special, Rick Springfield, Easton Corbin and Night Ranger perform in Downtown Jonesboro.   Tim McCall, Festival Chairman, said they are excited to again “ host two big acts this year for the public at no cost.”  McCall said the event is also about “providing our community and visitors with an opportunity to see Jonesboro and all the things we have to offer.” 

The festival also hosts the Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned Arkansas State Championship.    Jack Turner, event coordinator said, “The past few years we have seen contestants from all over the country.  We have been working hard to make the BBQ event bigger and better in 2017.   We have some great sponsors this year and look forward to giving away over $10,000 in cash and prizes.”  The Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) is the largest BBQ organization in the world. Each year, the Grand Champion is invited to the American Royal and Jack Daniels World Championship.  Turner said, “Everybody’s got a chance to win some big cash, this is fun for some and serious business for many grillers.”  

McCall and Turner, who have organized the event since inception said they are “excited to again have two acts this year and want to invite all of Northeast Arkansas to come out for a great show, that is FREE to the public.”   McCreery and Baber will perform on the Ritter Communications Stage.  The event also includes activities for the kids, plenty of food, vendors, crafts and a kid’s area sponsored by HiJinx, with a donation going to a local charity.  More details will follow soon.

Johnathan Reaves is the News Director for KASU Public Radio. As part of an Air Force Family, he moved to Arkansas from Minot, North Dakota in 1986. He was first bitten by the radio bug after he graduated from Gosnell High School in 1992. While working on his undergraduate degree, he worked at KOSE, a small 1,000 watt AM commercial station in Osceola, Arkansas. Upon graduation from Arkansas State University in 1996 with a degree in Radio-Television Broadcast News, he decided that he wanted to stay in radio news. He moved to Stuttgart, Arkansas and worked for East Arkansas Broadcasters as news director and was there for 16 years.