Smith, Bell Buckle to kick up heels at amphitheater

It's been years in the planning and construction -- and it's even been in use for a year -- but this Saturday will mark the grand opening of the Bell Buckle Amphitheater.

"We did the Fourth of July celebration here last year, but we weren't sure we were going to meet that deadline," said Jenny Hunt, an alderwoman in Bell Buckle as well as one of the driving forces behind the town park and the amphitheater. "Besides, we've always known we wanted to open it officially with Valerie."

Valerie is Valerie Smith and The Liberty Pike Band, Bell Buckle's very own internationally touring, three-time International Bluegrass Music Association award winner and Grammy nominee and her band.

"She stays so booked, we knew we were going to have to juggle dates,' said Hunt.

Besides juggling dates, there was also some finagling to do, getting the sound and light systems to work well -- at the same time.

"Last year, the electrical system was not where it needed to be," said Hunt.

In fact, she said, someone teased her during the Fourth of July celebration, asking if they had to choose between seeing the band or hearing it.

"It's all fixed!" Hunt said, "Now all we have to worry about is the weather."

So far, even the weather is cooperating, with only a 20 percent chance of rain.

The amphitheater -- and the award-winning park -- has special meaning for Hunt.

"I'm not a sentimental person, but I get the warm fuzzies when I think about it," she said.

The town, she said, has excelled in catering to the tourists who bring in so much money for the town coffers, but in this case, the town was catering to its own.

"We needed to do something for ourselves," she said. "We'd just had a bad year -- we call it the Annexation Year -- and there was a lot of division over it. I think this park went a long way to healing that."

The grand opening is free to everyone and begins at 6 p.m. with a performance by a local favorite, the band Creek.

The Bell Buckle Café will be on-site offering rib plates, barbecue, drinks, and more.

"Bring a blanket or a chair and enjoy the good time, and foot-stomping music," said Hunt.

Smith's concert is one of four planned for the Bell Buckle Concert Series. Others include Far Cry, June 26; Speakeasy, July 3; and David Pitner and Absolute Zero, Aug. 14.