Stephanie Wildasin and Dylan Barnes, friends from Kansas City, Mo., thought nothing of the drive if it meant seeing Frankie Ballard headline Saturdays Farm City Days Summer Concert Series.
I love Frankie Ballard, Wildasin said of the musicians high-energy fusion of rock and country music. I saw him open at Lake Fest in Atchison. Ive been waiting the longest time to see him but he didnt have tour dates anywhere close. When I saw he was going to be here, I thought two hours isnt that far to drive.
Neither Wildasin nor Barnes had ever been to Iola, though theyd noticed signs while driving past on U.S. 169. Barnes has lived only in big cities and said he hadnt really spent time in a small town.
Its a gorgeous town, he said. If they keep doing things like this, Id come back.
The two stopped at a convenience store before the show and expected to fill up with fuel on their way back to Kansas City that night.
An estimated 800 attended the inaugural summer concert, an event planned to complement the annual Farm City Days festival in October. Organizers hoped the concert would bring out-of-towners like Wildasin and Barnes Iolas way, and boost the local economy, as well as to provide entertainment and memories for local residents.
Iola residents Patty and Randy Latta said they came to the concert to support the Farm City Days committee. Though they like country music and enjoyed the concerts previously offered in conjunction with the Allen County Fair in the 1990s, they were not familiar with Ballard.
I am glad to see them bringing something like this back, Patty said. Farm City Days brings a lot of people to Iola and we dont want to lose it.
Ballard brought the crowd to its feet when he took the stage at about 10 p.m. to sing his hits like Helluva Life, Sunshine & Whiskey and It All Started With a Beer. After the concert, he stuck around to meet fans and sign autographs. Before the concert, he and his bassist walked around the Iola square and noted it was an impressive downtown square, Farm City Days committee secretary/treasurer Aaron Franklin said.
Opening acts Ricochet and Wade Hayes warmed up the crowd. Ricochet amused the crowd with a parody rap performance from drummer Chris Hemp-fling, while lead singer Heath Wright drew laughs with his saggy pants. Hayes sang a tribute to his dog, Who Saved Who, as well as hit songs from past and current albums.
Organizers had set a goal of between 1,200 to 1,400 in attendance and fell a bit short in ticket sales for the first-time event, Franklin said. He expects it would take two or three years before the show can support itself and be considered a financial success, but was pleased overall with how the show turned out.
Except for a few logistical hiccups, the show came together without problems. Temperatures in the 90s cooled later in the evening, with a nice breeze.
Ricochet, Wade Hayes, and Frankie Ballard all had fantastic performances and entertained the crowd, Franklin said. The concert started on time and ended on time, and everyone had a great time and a wonderful experience.
Organizers invited representatives from the Cornstock Music Festival in Garnett to the show, and they congratulated the Farm City Days group for a successful start.
It was promising to hear that from a group that understands what it takes to build a grassroots event like this and having maintained it up in Anderson County for well over a decade, Franklin said. As this was a completely new Farm City Days Event, we didnt have history on our side for making projections.
