SOAR holds Country Music Highway Tribute Show finale in Prestonsburg

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WYMT) - On Saturday, SOAR, Shaping Our Appalachian Region, hosted the finale of the Country Music Highway Tribute Show in Prestonsburg.

In recent weeks, there were shows in Paintsville and Whitesburg. Shows that SOAR Chief Operating Officer Joshua Ball said turned into something bigger.

“We knew early on, we were onto something and so, we thought initially we would have an event with a few hours of music and our two outdoor shows turned into festivals,” he said.

He said the finale gives them an opportunity to reflect on what went well.

“We found some consensus, we cast the vision and we’re here today celebrating the finale. We’ve been in Paintsville and we’ve been in Whitesburg for outdoor shows, but we’ve got music lined up for more than eight hours today,” Ball said.

He added that this series started as an idea to celebrate artists from areas around Highway 23.

“This is really an initiative that started last year as we were trying to figure out ways to celebrate this incredible asset, which is the Country Music Highway that goes up Greenup in Boyd County all the way down to Letcher County, he said.

Ball said he is thankful for the support from partners and sponsors such as local leaders and counties’ tourism conventions.

“Everyone came together and really bought into this and tonight we’re going to be able to hand out seven thousand dollars to deserving organizations that are supporting arts and music along the highway,” he explained.

The finale saw performances from Kevin Dale, Bek and the Starlight Revue and Billie Jean Osborne’s Kentucky Opry at the Mountain Arts Center.

For more information on the ongoing silent auction, click here.

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