Nationally known musicians will visit Cleveland County in August for 2013 American Legion World Series concerts.
Country music star Sara Evans, North Carolina native and country music legend Ronnie Milsap, and contemporary Christian acts Aaron Shust and The Afters will perform in Shelby. MercyMe, which attracted a crowd for a 2012 ALWS concert, will also return.
But this year’s ALWS will begin with a community festival that will welcome everyone and salute local residents who support the event each year.
The 7th Inning Stretch Festival will kick off World Series events during the day Aug. 10.
“We want the World Series to be more than just a few baseball games,” said Eddie Holbrook, co-chairman of the ALWS executive committee. “So people who don’t even like baseball have a reason to attend and have a good time.”
The festival will include a 5K race, concerts, food, games and more.
“The committee wanted to say thank you for what Cleveland County does before the teams arrive for the World Series, while they’re here and after they leave,” said Kim Davis, of KD Marketing, a firm helping organize the festival.
Legion officials say they’re already working on plans for 2014 ALWS events — including which concert acts perform.
7th Inning Stretch Festival
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 10
Where: Uptown Shelby court square
Begins with: 7th Inning Stretch 5K Run/Walk with 8 a.m. registration — The route will take participants to Keeter Stadium and back to the court square.
Other festival activities will include: a children’s area with inflatables, mascots from area baseball teams, street entertainers, a pitching machine, misting tent, cornhole tournament, souvenirs photo station, arts and crafts, food and live music
Who’s performing:
- Opening ceremonies: The Southern Experience Band — The Southern rock band from Kings Mountain performs a twist of country, blues and funk.
- 11:30 a.m.: SloanTones — The group formed in March 2011 and performs across genres, ranging from rock, blues, bluegrass, funk, country, Southern rock, reggae and more.
- 1:30 p.m.: Big Daddy Love — The Appalachian Rock group from western North Carolina performs a blend of rock, roots and bluegrass.
Presenting sponsor: Revo Communications
More information soon: www.7thinningstretch.cc, or call 704-600-6599.
Concert performers
MercyMe, Aaron Shust, The Afters
- 6:30 p.m., Aug. 10 — Gates will open at 4:30 p.m.
- Faith-based concert at Cleveland County Fairgrounds
- Reserved seats will be $40 each, festival lawn seats $20 each, or $15 each for groups of 25 or more.
- Tickets will go on sale in early June, with remaining tickets available the evening of the concert. More information will be available soon.
MercyMe returns for a second-straight year at the fairgrounds. The group has garnered Grammy nominations, numerous Dove Awards and an American Music Award. The group’s 2001 worldwide hit “I Can Only Imagine” surpassed 1 million digital downloads, making it the first song in Christian music to go platinum in digital.
Aaron Shust and The Afters will also perform.
Shust wrote “My Savior, My God,” which became the most-played song of 2006 on Christian Adult Contemporary charts and won three Dove awards for Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and New Artist of the Year. He has since released multiple albums with awards, nominations and hits such as “To God Alone,” “Take Over” and “My Hope is in You.”
The Afters are a Texas-based rock quartet that has produced theme songs for several TV shows (“Beautiful Love” for MTV’s “8th and Ocean,” “Until the World” for ABC Family’s “Beautiful People” and “Light Up The Sky” for MTV’s “The Hills.”)
The Afters were the 2006 Gospel Music Association New Artist of the Year. The group’s most recent album release in April 2013 was “Life is Beautiful,” and the single “Every Good Thing” hit the top 10 in the Billboard Hot AC/CHR Chart. The title track was featured in the 2012 film “October Baby.”
Ronnie Milsap
- 6 p.m., Aug. 14
- National Commander’s Reception
- Tickets are invitation-only
Milsap is a North Carolina native and country music legend with 40 No. 1 hits and six Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1976 and the N.C. Music Hall of Fame in 2002. Hits include “It Was Almost Like A Song,” “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For the World,” “No Gettin’ Over Me” and “Stranger in My House.”
Sara Evans
- 6 p.m., Aug. 15
- Banquet of Champions
- Reserved tickets are already sold out. Additional tickets will be available after July 15.
Evans has produced multiple No. 1 country singles and top 10 hits, including “No Place that Far,” “Born to Fly” and “A Little Bit Stronger.”
She received the 2006 Academy of Country Music’s Female Vocalist of the Year Award and a 2010 Dove Award for the special event album, “Glory Revealed II: The Word of God in Worship,” which was recorded with various other artists.
2013 ALWS:
Aug. 16-20
More details coming soon
For information, call 704-466-3103.