Shelton's mixes old favorites with new surprises

Melissa Oyer

Valley Press

A crowd full of music-loving, barbecue-eating, money-donaters gathered Saturday at the Sanders County Fairgrounds for the 5th annual Shelton’s Country Music Festival.

Shelton King was born with an acute seizure disorder, which required numerous surgeries, including a very dangerous brain operation before his first birthday.

After Shelton passed away, a memorial fund was created to help other children like him that needed financial assistance for treatment and the expenses that come with it.

Shelton’s Memorial Fund is intended specifically to assist families of Sanders County.

As a part of this fundraising campaign, Shelton’s Country Music Festival was started.

The first event happened in 2005 and from then on, turn out has increased, the weather has gotten warmer, and the money keeps stacking up.

Tammy McAllister, event coordinator for the music festival spent months prior to Saturday preparing and planning for the annual event.

This year’s music festivities featured an array of sounds from a couple of guys playing acoustic guitars and a mother-daughter duo singing the Judd’s to a full band performing country-western hits and even a country band’s rendition of the hokey pokey.

Uncle Bacca Juice, featuring a 13- and 14- year old boys on banjo and fiddle opened the day with a bluegrass set and they were very impressive.

The music continued with more bluegrass sounds courtesy of Alberton’s The Gravely Mountain Boys. The group spent their time on stage picking guitars and a fiddle while singing about forlorn lovers and mischievous escapades in between.

Dick Darne, leader of the band, shared hilarious stories, whether fact or fiction in between songs and with every punch line came a chuckle followed by a round of applause from the crowd.

Justin Brown, new to Plains, made his Montana musical debut on Saturday’s stage by singing and playing acoustic guitar.

The singer commented on the fact that there was no air conditioning on stage and for that reason the sweat was causing his guitar pick to slide out of his hands. Brown closed his set with The Allman’s Brother’s ‘Whipping Post’, one of his all-time favorites.

While music was playing on the main stage, children were across the park having their faces adorned with designs by face-painting extraordinaire Judy Stephens.

 “We have been busy,” Stephens said. “I’ve painted lots of animals, snakes, spiders and roses.”

By the end of the day, Stephens had her contribution can full with dollar bills and said she was happy to be a part of the fundraising activities.

In the fairgrounds Home Ec building, kids could spend some time with different musicians in a music clinic where they could polish techniques they already knew or take a few minutes to learn some new ones.

Unfortunately, the Broken Wrekerds band had to cancel due to a family illness so to fill their time slot, a few musicians who were performing throughout the day came together to have an impromptu jam session, performing as The Refills.

Justin Brown, singer J.D. and bass player Mike Hegwood from Sho-Down, Kim Beech and Tyler Barham, took the stage, performing a five song set that left the crowd in awe. It was hard to tell that the group had only practiced for about 30 minutes prior to taking the stage.

“When they started singing 7 Bridges Road by the Eagles…it may have been biggest treat of the four years we have been doing the festival,” McAllister said.

Kim Beech, one of the members of the Refills was excite to be included in this year’s festival. Beech said she knows first-hand the high cost of tending to a sick child. Beech’s son was very ill when he was young and her family struggled to make ends meet while balancing his medical costs with travel and everything else that came along with treating him.

So to be a part of something like the Shelton’s Country Music Festival gave Beech the opportunity to help other families.

“This is a great thing the community does to support each other,” Beech said. “Even just taking kids to the hospital costs so much these days and even the smallest of help can take a huge load off a family and their finances. That’s why I’m here, to be one of those people that helps other people.”

Darin King, Shelton’s father commented that this year seemed to be one of the coolest times they had had yet, referring not just to the weather.  

“All I ever want to do is just make it through the day,” King said. “My sister Tammy does all the hard work, I’m just here for moral support.”

King also shared his voice and guitar playing a few songs in between sets while other performers set up and broke down their equipment on stage.

People trickled in the gates throughout the day, each here for a different reason.

Pete Duty, in town visiting from Topock, Arizona, said he overheard people talking about it Friday night at the VFW and thought it was worth a shot to come down and see what it was all about.

“I love it here,” Duty said. “You get to hear a little bit of everything. What a great venue for good artists to play! The atmosphere is friendly and the beer is cold.”

Leah Lindsay, who grew up in Plains, emceed the festival, keeping folks up-to-date on the band’s playing and what was going on elsewhere around the fairgrounds. Lindsay, most of you may know her as Joe Johnson’s kid, now lives in Kalispell where she works as a radio broadcaster for 105.1 KOOL FM, B98 and The Bear.

“I have known the Kings for years and wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this. What an awesome excuse for a homecoming.”

Lindsay said she supports anything that helps Sanders County families.

“Sanders County has always struggled financially and because good people are doing good things, people get to see the effects of their hard work first hand.”

A silent auction was taking place during the daylong event. Everything from homemade desserts to artwork and crafts could be purchased, with all proceeds going directly to the memorial fund.  

A live auction took place around 6:oo p.m. featuring donated items from local merchants and members of the community.

Tony and Donna Colombo came away with a beautiful flower basket filled with several different types of flowers, ready for planting and an angel food cake homemade by Rue Vancampen, which left those sitting around them drooling.

Wade Rehbein of Plains jumped at the chance to purchase a lot of fresh cherries courtesy of Flathead Cherry Growers Association.

A last minute additin to the live auction was a plate of Betty Frye’s famous chocolate chip cookies that went for $22.50 to Gary Cremer of Hot Springs.

Just around o’ dark thirty, Sho-Down took the stage to close the day out with a bang.

The band was generous enough to provide the sound and stage equipment for everyone to use throughout the day.

Their set was rockin’ and kept a group of eager dancers on the makeshift dance floor just in front of the stage.  

McAllister said she felt all in all, the day turned out to be a success. “We took in around $5,500,” McAllister said, “but we still have a few bills to pay out of that and have received a couple of donations after the festival.”

Of the total earnings, $1,500 of that was taken in at the gate and about $2,000 from the auctions.

“As you can tell, I could go on and on about how everyone came through to make this day so much fun, Mcallister said. “Each year I am reminded of how willing people are to go that extra mile to help out their friends and neighbors.”