Palmetto signs the Oak Ridge Boys to headline Fourth of July Festival

The Oak Ridge Boys, 2015 inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame, have been signed to headline Palmetto’s Fourth of July festival in Sutton Park.

With too many awards to list, the Oak Ridge Boys have had songs at the top of the charts for more than four decades. After nearly a half century of performing, the excitement of playing before their fans has never wavered.

“When I go on stage, I get the same feeling I had the first time I sang with the Oak Ridge Boys,” said lead singer Duane Allen on the group’s website. “This is the only job I ever wanted to have.”

From songs like “Elvira,” “Bobbie Sue,” “Dream On” and “Fancy Free,” to many others, the group has achieved a dozen gold records, three platinum albums and one double platinum album while scoring more than 30 top 10 hits and more than a dozen No. 1 singles.

Palmetto’s Community Redevelopment Agency takes the lead in organizing the Fourth of July Festival. CRA Director Jeff Burton said there have always been two bands at the forefront of the agency’s wish list.

“It’s always been the Oak Ridge Boys and the Charlie Daniels Band,” Burton said. “Charlie Daniels has a standing Fourth of July engagement every year and we were really fortunate to lock in the Oak Ridge Boys. Normally it takes weeks or months to get someone signed, but we were able to get this deal done in less than a day. We are obviously really excited to get a band of this magnitude and sustainability.”

Burton said this year’s festival will have something new.

“We want to create a more family friendly environment before the concert,” Burton said. “While the concert is going on at Sutton Park, we’ll have more activities at Lamb Park for the children. We are working with community members to come up with more of those activities that will hopefully include more rides and slides and things like that.”

Burton said those activities would take place throughout the day on July 4. Lamb Park is adjacent to Sutton Park so the Fourth of July atmosphere can be felt by all.

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 12:10 AM with the headline "Palmetto signs the Oak Ridge Boys to headline Fourth of July Festival."