CareFest 2022 draws biggest crowd so far
By Donnie A. Lucas
What is believed to be a record crowd of music festival fans was on hand last Saturday for the fifth annual CareFest benefitting the ResourceCare centers, which serve six area communities.
The event was hosted at Happy Wife, Happy Life Event Center located about four miles west of Albany.
At press time, organizers were still cleaning up following the event and had not crunched the numbers to determine the number of tickets sold or money raised.
“We think this was our biggest crowd so far,” event organizer Ragan Riley said. “The weather was great, and I think there were considerably more people there.”
The lineup for the 2022 event featured six bands, plus two acoustic local artists that played indoors in the VIP Lounge.
Bands presented on the outdoor stage were the Davis Brothers Band (local), Jacob Stelly, Slade Coulter, Kevin Fowler, Giovannie and the Hired Guns, and the Read Southall Band.
Matt Stapp and Jeff Martin, both local artists, alternated playing acoustic sets indoors.
“Giovannie and the Hired Guns were a big hit last year, and we had them back,” Riley said. “The biggest crowd came later in the evening when Giovannie, Kevin Fowler, and Read Southall were playing, and they were well received.”
While the total number of people attending is not yet available, organizers thought that the total will be well in excess of the 1,100 who attended in 2019.
Riley expressed appreciation to Sheryl and Kelly Scott for hosting the event at their event center.
“We definitely couldn’t do it without the Scotts,” she said. “They have done so much to help us over the years.”
The money generated by the event will be used to help fund ResourceCare programs such as Meals on Wheels, Day Camp, Christmas programs, and the emergency assistance fund.
The center, which originated in Albany over 25 years ago, provides health care, dental, mental health services, and social programs in six area communities.
