CountryFEST 2012 Comes to Lebanon June 7-10

April 23, 2012 - PRLog -- By Sabrina Garrett
Staff Writer Lebanon Democrat

Crave authentic country tunes? HillbilliesVille CountryFEST is for you.

Tickets for the family friendly event go on sale this Saturday, April 21 for the 4-day celebration, which will be held June 7-10 at Fiddlers Grove in Lebanon.

Coordinator Kevin Kiepe said the homegrown festival has been a work in progress for over four years.

"The most overwhelming thing is the discovery of amazing artists," he said of the journey that brought him from his native home Australia to Wilson County.

Kiepe operates HillbilliesVille, currently in Fiddlers Grove and knew automatically that it would be a grand spot for CountryFEST.

He said that after meeting Wilson County Promotions President Hale Moss, he understood the message behind Fiddlers Grove and preserving history.

After all, he is trying preserve classic country music.

Thirty artists have been booked for the festival, scheduled on the same dates as the CMA Festival in Nashville and Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, TN.

"We are not a competitor to them. Their focus is pop music. Ours is very intimate. We only have 2,000 tickets available for each day," Kiepe said.

Performers will be available to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and sell merchandise and music.

So exactly which performers have committed to attend? Kiepe isn't telling.

"Predominantly [these are] people the fans may not have heard of - however, they are all very talented and needed to be heard by the fans. They are going to blown away," he said.

Tickets will be $15 per day or event passes may be purchased for $39.

Discounted tickets are available for college students, veterans, and senior citizens for $10 a day or $19 for an event pass.

"Tickets can be purchased at www.yourticketbox.com," Kiepe said.

He also advised festival goers to get their tickets early. "We expect the event should be sold out [before June 7]."

It was announced in a press release that the festival will be streamed live on HillbilliesVille.com, the digital space committed to making traditional country music available to everybody.

CountryFEST 2012 will also host auditions for The Hillbilly Factor, a global search for the freshest young talent in country music.

Hillbilly Factor acts performing at CountryFEST 2012 will be judged by HillbilliesVille members voting online.

Successful candidates will be invited to perform live on HillbilliesVille.com with one act being crowned the winner at the conclusion of the contest.

CountryFEST 2012 ticket holders can also enjoy heritage horse and carriage rides plus interactive games between live performances.

"Fans of real country music want to hear the music that they love performed by authentic artist in an intimate setting. CountryFEST 2012 is the only country festival in Tennessee which makes that a reality," Kiepe said.

To find out more about joining HillbilliesVille visit HillbilliesVille.com or at Facebook.com/HillbilliesVille.

Staff writer Sabrina Garrett may be reached at 615.444.3952 ext. 15 or via email at sgarrett@lebanondemocrat.com