Entertainment : Country Fest fills fairgrounds with music; organizers begin planning for 2016

Tim and Sandra Rathe dance as the Bellamy Brothers sing Saturday.

Lisa Maestas (left) was named the Redneck Girl contest winner.

Keith Lindsey plays drums as his band the Nashbillies opens the concert.

Tim and Sandra Rathe of Urbana have danced to country music in many places throughout the years of their marriage, but never on a race track, says Sandra.

The couple was the first of many to turn the dirt of the Benton County Speedway into a dance floor during the Benton County Country Fest. First, they danced to music played and sung by the Nashbillies, a local band featuring Keith Lindsey on drums. Later, they were among several couples of all ages to dance as the Bellamy Brothers sang.

The Fest is the first annual event that the members of JT Promotions (Keith and Teresa Lindsey and Kevin and Jackie Schlarbaum) plan to organize.

Teresa Lindsey said during the concert that the event went very well, although she would have loved to see the grandstands filled. A crowd of several hundred stood in front of the stage or sat in the grandstands as the musicians played.

The two-day event also included an art show featuring about 10 members of the Vinton Guild of Fine Arts, who displayed their art work and offered a few demonstrations of their craft.

Lindsey said the promoters are already making plans for a second annual Country Fest in 2016.

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