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By Gerald Hodges

Special to The Lowndes Signal

The 45th Annual Salute to a Legend will be held Friday and Saturday, May 31 – June 1 at the Hank Williams Music Park in the friendly, southern town of Georgiana. 

For several years, Williams and his mother lived on the property where the festival is located. Festival goers will be serenaded by the CSX freight train whistles as they roll by. Some fans have even reported hearing lonesome sounds when the wind is blowing just right through the trees surrounding the festival and Hank’s boyhood home, which is now a museum.

There will be no shortage of talent at this year’s festival. 

Friday’s night’s headline act, Diamond Rio has been one of the most popular country music bands for years.They will take the stage at about 9 p.m.

They have sold more than 6.8 million albums and surpassed over 1.05 billion global streams, Diamond 

At this year’s Hank Williams Festival, fans can expect to hear some of their most popular songs, which include: How Your Love Makes Me Feel,” crossover hit “One More Day,” as well as timeless hits “Beautiful Mess,” “Unbelievable,” “How Your Love Makes Me Feel,” and many more. 

Entertainers that will appear on stage before Diamond Rio include Edward Johansson, Brad Magness, with Ronna and Tammy Sue, Colin Leatherwood, Mary Battiata, Terry Smith, Morgan and Wes Brown and the bands New Vision, Flashback, Burning Bush Family, Today’s Yesterday Band, The Chilton County Gospel Singers, The High Aces, and others.

Brad Magness is back after an absence of several years. The Bean Blossom, Indiana singer and band leader has appeared on the Georgiana stage for nearly 30 years, more than any other entertainer.

Craig Morgan will take the stage on Saturday night about 9 p.m.

Morgan’s Top-10 songs are “Bonfire,” “Wake Up Lovin’ You,” “Almost Home,” “Every Friday Afternoon,” “This Ain’t Nothin,” “Little Bit Of Life,” “Something To Write Home About,” “Redneck Yacht Club,” “Tough” and “When I’m Gone”.

This year’s lineup of entertainers on Saturday will also feature Brad Magnets, with Ronna, and Tammy Sue; Colin Leatherwood; Starla Jones; Edward Johansson; Mary Battiata; Terry Smith; Morgan and Wes Brown and Aaron Moss along with the bands Flashback, New Vision, Burning Busch Family, Today’s Yesterday Band, The High Aces, The Chilton County Gospel Singers and others.

The band Flashback with members Larry Nichols, Leroy Thomas, Tripp Bass, Marty Campbell, ET Thomas, and Buddy Manning, will play backup for most of the entertainers.

Thursday, May 30, at 6 p.m, there will be a free karaoke session.

Friday, May 31, fans can enter the park at 2 p.m. Entertainment begins at 3 p.m. Admission is $40. 

Saturday, June 1, the gates open at 8 a.m. Entertainment starts at 9 p.m. Admission is $60.

The festival is located on the grounds of the Hank Williams Boyhood Home and Museum. It is held under a covered pavilion, which means fans are not exposed to the sun, and the festival will go on, rain or shine. Adjoining the stage area are vendor and concession booths. Admission to the museum is free with a paid ticket.

There is no reserved seating. Bring your lawn chairs. No lounge chairs, coolers, food, drinks, or pets can be taken into the park. A special weekend ticket, which will be good for both days, can be bought for $80. This is a savings of $20 over the regular single-day admission price. This ticket must be purchased by May 17 at www.eventbrite.com. For additional information, call 334-376-2396, or log on to: www.hankwilliamsfestival.com. 

To reach the festival, take I-65 Exit 114, and go one mile east.