Jennifer Hayes speaks at The Paramount.
Birthplace of Country Music and Paramount Bristol announced a strategic partnership to bring WBCM Radio Bristol's “Farm and Fun Time” live variety show broadcast to the historic Bristol stage. The Mavericks,Tex-Mex country-rockers, are set to headline the premiere event at 7 p.m., March 10. Dallas Wayne and Redd Volkaert open the show, with house band Bill and the Belles on tap to entertain with musical interludes and original jingles between segments.
"This is another historic moment for BCM and Radio Bristol," said Leah Ross, BCM executive director of advancement. "Paramount Bristol is the shining jewel of our downtown and a premier venue in our region. This is a wonderful partnership that will only grow with time."
"As arts organizations and downtown neighbors, Paramount Bristol and BCM share similar missions of supporting the arts in our community and the region while also working to draw more visitors to our beautiful downtown," said Paramount Bristol executive director Jennifer Hayes. "We're very enthusiastic about the future opportunities‘Farm and Fun Time’ will bring."
Hosted by Kris Truelsen and his house band Bill and the Belles,“Farm and Fun Time”is live musical variety show which broadcasts monthly from the performance theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Now syndicated on Blue Ridge PBS, East Tennessee PBS, and PBS North Carolina,tickets to be part of the studio audience for “Farm and Fun Time”routinely sell out the museum's 100-seat theater. It has always been an ambition to expand the show to Paramount Bristol to accommodate a larger audience as well as larger touring acts.
"This is an important step in the development of‘Farm and Fun Time,’" said Truelsen. "BCM has plans to expand to other PBS markets across the country. Bringing‘Farm and Fun Time’to the stage at the Paramount plays a major role in our goals for expanding syndication nationwide."
"Blue Ridge PBS has remained a community-owned station, dedicated to telling the stories of our region," said William Anderson, President & CEO of Blue Ridge PBS. "The vitality of our region's rich music heritage is a big story within itself - and ‘Farm and Fun Time’honors that history while carrying on our musical traditions into the future."
Radio Bristol's presenting underwriter for‘Farm and Fun Time’isEastman Credit Union, which has supported the program since the beginning. HVAC, Inc.andPermatilea re also underwriters.
"Back in the 1940s and 1950s‘Farm and Fun Time’ played a major role in the development of legendary acts from the Appalachian region like The Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, Jim and Jesse McReynolds, and many more," said Kindle Conkin, manager of Government Relations and Marketing Specialist at Eastman Credit Union. "The‘Farm and Fun Time’ of today is carrying on the tradition of shining a spotlight on our region's rich music heritage, and ECU is proud to play a role in continuing that legacy."
Tickets to Radio Bristol's “Farm and Fun Time” featuring The Mavericks, Dallas Wayne with Redd Volkaert at Paramount Bristol range from $40 to $82 and are on sale at ParamountBristol.com.
