DUANE SHERRILLEditor

Hurricane Helene forced a condensed version of the 14^th Annual 41A Music Festival this past weekend, as the threat of high winds and torrential rain prompted the Highland Rim Kiwanis to make it a Saturday-only event.

The call to abbreviate the festival was made Thursday afternoon after Kiwanis and city officials held an emergency meeting. It was determined that the safety threats presented by the remnants of Hurricane Helene posed a risk, given forecasts for high winds on Friday.

“The safety of our guests, performers and volunteers is our top priority,” Kiwanis President Tracy Sergeant said in announcing the festival would become a one-day only event this year. “Given the risks associated with a Friday evening festival, there was no choice but to make it a Saturday-only event.”

Club members and volunteers braved the rain and cold weather to set up the scaled-down 41A campus in downtown, as many vendors chose not to participate given the call for more bad weather on Saturday. The festival and kids’ zone were all set up near the same block, making for a more intimate setting. According to veteran members of the club, the festival has enjoyed some good fortune in years past, as this year marked one of the first years 41A has been forced to streamline the event due to weather.

The persistent drizzle combined with temperatures in the 60s led to a small turnout; however, those who did come downtown were treated to performances by 2 Ton Hammer, who rescheduled to Saturday after first being on the Friday list. FM Mayhem followed before performances by Salem Creek, Utopia and The Spazmatics.

The club wanted to thank the sponsors who helped provide the event for free.

“Thank you, to our title sponsors Michelob Ultra proudly distributed by L&H Distributing and Miller Lite proudly distributed by DET Beverage,” the club said, noting without sponsors, the annual festival would not be possible. “Platinum including the City of Tullahoma, Tullahoma Fire, Tullahoma Police, Master of Ceremonies, Bowman Media, 93.9 The Duck, The Rooster 101.5 , 95.9 & 105.1 Whiskey Country, The Tullahoma News and US Bank. Gold including Access Title, Apex Restoration DKI, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Barrett Construction, Beyond New Horizons, Brent Myers Construction, Christopher Equipment, Coffee County Bank, New Haven Mortgage, First Vision Bank, FirstBank, Jacobs, Joe Denby, Lester, Greene, McCord & Thoma, McMurr’s, Ole Shed, Rogers Group, Ross Services, Showcase Media, Siteworx, Stan McNabb, The Seafood Place and Weichert Realtors, Joe Orr & Assoc. Silver included Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital and Mike Winton Realty & Auction.

Proceeds from the annual festival go to help area youth. Charities sponsors in the recent past included: Toys for Tots, Head Start, CASA Works, Tullahoma Day Care, Karing for Kids, Coffee County Community Advisory Board, Coffee County Children’s Advocacy, Blue Monarch, Hands on Science Center, Haven of Hope, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Horse Play, TACA, Shepherd’s House, the Literary Council and more.