The Farm Hands at the 2022 YeeHaw Music Fest – photo © Bill Warren
The 2022 YeeHaw Music Fest kicked off on Thursday at the Okeechobee Agri-Civic Center. This is an Evans Media Source festival, produced and promoted by Ernie and Debi Evans.
Sherry Boyd keeps everything on track as MC. She is one of the premier MCs on the bluegrass festival circuit.
Caroline Owens opened the show with a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Caroline is a North Carolinian that will soon be a household name.
Swinging Bridge from Florida was the first band on stage. They present a good mix of bluegrass and traditional country music. The band invited Caroline to join them for a couple songs. This band can be seen at many Florida events.
Tim Graves brought the newest iteration of the Farmhands to the Fest. The lineup is all familiar names – Terry Eldredge on bass, Don Wayne Reno on banjo, Jimmy Haynes on guitar, Kevin Prater on mandolin, and Tim on dobro. The band presented a mix of Tim’s music, some Reno & Smiley music, some of Kevin’s signature music, and some of Terry’s familiar tunes. Jimmy did a couple of Gospel tunes as well. Rarely does one see a band where all five members can sing lead.
Sideline was up next. Steve Dilling does the band MC work as well as being a top flight harmony singer. Skip Cherryholmes is the “Energizer Bunny” of the band. A one point he left the stage and played all the way to the back of the auditorium. He continued to play while sprinting to the front and jumping back onto the stage. The audience loved it.
Nothin’ Fancy closed out the stage show as only they can. They hold a crowd riveted until the last note, and have a well-earned reputation as great entertainers.
Sideline hosted the Midnight Jam after the stage show. Everyone had a great time jamming.
The rest of the show will feature several Florida bands along with The Malpass Brothers, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, Deeper Shade of Blue, and the Grascals. The weekend will be closed out by classic country star, Moe Bandy.
So head to Okeechobee to enjoy some fine entertainment.
Support your local music venues.
