Jonesboro, Arkansas - Bobby Bare wanted to appear at last year’s Johnny Cash Music Festival, but he was already booked by the time the date was set.

But for the fourth annual Cash Fest, to be held Aug. 15 once again at Arkansas State University’s Convocation Center in Jonesboro, he emphatically states without hesitation, “I’m there!

A big Cash fan since the Man in Black arrived on the country and pop music scenes in 1955, Bare had also been a friend of Cash since 1957.

“That’s when I met John,” says Bare, who likewise broke through on both the pop and country charts in the early ‘60s with hits like “Detroit City” and “500 Miles Away from Home.”

Cash, of course, had begun his career with Sun Records in Memphis, where his early country/pop hits included “I Walk the Line” and “Ballad of a Teenage Queen.”

“He moved to California, and I went over to his house a couple times,” Bare recalls. “He had people like Patsy Cline, Don Gibson, Grandpa Jones. He was having a goat roast, and we were all sitting around the big living room singing and playing.”

Bare was living in L.A. then.

“Everybody saw me as a West Coast pop singer, which wasn’t true, but I’d had pop hits. Buck Owens and Wynn Stewart and Harlan Howard and Hank Cochran were out there, and we were all friends. But there weren’t a lot of country people there who were singers, so I hung out with pop stars like the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean. Glen Campbell lived right up the street.”

Bare had had a No. 2 pop hit in 1958 with "The All American Boy," a talking blues song that was mistakenly credited to Bill Parsons that was inspired by Elvis Presley.

“Chet Atkins was a big fan of the thing, and loved the way I talked,” says Bare. “He signed me to RCA in Nashville, and my first three or four records there—‘Shame On Me,’ ‘Detroit City,’ ‘500 Miles,’ ‘Miller’s Cave’—were mostly talkin’. About the only singing I did on most of the big hits was me singing along with the Anita Kerr Singers [vocal backing group] on the chorus. Me and Bill Anderson [who had the country/pop hits ‘Still’ and ‘8 x 10’ at the same time] weren’t so much singing as doing recitations. I don’t think I really got to sing until ‘Four Strong Winds’ [Bare’s No. 3 country hit in 1964] or ‘(Margie's At) The Lincoln Park Inn” [No. 4 in ‘69].”

With songs on both the pop and country charts, Bare was able to tour the South with rock acts like Bobby Darin, the Dave Clark Five and The Ronettes, then return two months later to the same venues, this time with country stars like Marty Robbins, Hank Snow and Loretta Lynn.

Bare soon relocated to the Nashville area, as did Cash.

“We lived out in Hendersonville with them for 45 years, and when our daughter died in 1975, John was the first one there. We both lived on a lake, and I used to go sit on the boat docks with John and catch fish. He was just good people. We all know that—and I know it firsthand.”

Bare warmly remembers an episode of his 1980s TV series Bobby Bare and Friends on The Nashville Network, in which he interviewed songwriters, who performed their hits. Cash and his fellow Sun Records star Carl Perkins were the guests.

“They were the only ones I had on the show that day, and somewhere during the interview I said, ‘John, did you ever do anything crazy on the road?’—which of course was a real loaded question. I knew some of the crazy stuff he’d done! But he said, ‘Nope. Never!’ Carl busted out laughing and so did I, and then John caught it and we had to stop the tape, we were all laughing so hard.”

Cash “done a lot of crazy [stuff] that almost killed him,” continues Bare, “but didn’t we all?” Bottom line, he adds, “He had a heart as big as Tennessee and Texas put together.”

Last year Bare joined Cash in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

“I didn’t do anything to promote going in—like others do—so I was shocked when I got the call,” he says. “Tom T. Hall inducted me. He used to play in my band, and said, ‘There are a lot of crazy things you’ve done up there—and it’s beginning to look like we’re gonna get away with it!’ Kris Kristofferson sang ‘Come Sundown’ [Bare’s 1970 hit, which Kristofferson wrote], and he got very emotional about the whole thing.”

Kristofferson, who also wrote Cash’s classic hit “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” played the first Johnny Cash Music Festival. Looking ahead now to Aug. 15, Bare has a special understanding of the significance of the event, which raises money to restore Cash’s boyhood home in nearby Dyess, Ark.

“I know how he felt about his home place, and how historical things meant a lot to him,” Bare says. “So it’s just a privilege—and an opportunity for me to try to help raise money for it, and for the ASU scholarships that are awarded in his name. I feel we owe Johnny Cash as much as we can give back to him, no matter what it is.”

And Bare is especially pleased that this year’s Johnny Cash Music Festival, which will be hosted by legendary singer and comedian Mark Lowry, will also star fellow Country Music Hall of Famers Reba McEntire and Loretta Lynn.

“I’m like everybody else,” the country music veteran proudly concludes. “I love Reba and Loretta, but the deal is, I’ve loved them from the very beginning!”

Tickets for the Johnny Cash Music Festival are on sale now and available at Arkansas State’s Central Box Office (1-888-278-3267) and online at Tickets.AState.edu. Tickets can also be purchased by logging onto the official website of the Johnny Cash Music Festival: JohnnyCashMusicFest.com.

Jonesboro, Arkansas -  Tickets for the highly-anticipated 2014 Johnny Cash Music Festival will go on sale Friday, Feb. 28, at 10 a.m. and are available at the Arkansas State University Central Box Office, Convocation Center, 217 Olympic Drive.

The tickets are $200, $100, $70, and $40 (all tickets – prices plus applicable fees).   A limited number of VIP tickets are available for this show for $200 apiece and each includes a special back stage setting prior to the event. The $100 tickets include premium floor seating as well as the best lower level seats.   The $70 tickets include the remainder of the floor and lower level of the Convocation Center.   All upper level seating is priced $40.

Purchases may be made in person directly at the Ticket Office located in the lower red entrance of the Convocation Center or by calling (870) 972-2781. Buyers may also call toll-free at 1-888-278-3267 or purchase online at Tickets.AState.edu.

To make a gift to the restoration fund as well as purchase tickets, also log onto the official website of the Johnny Cash Music Festival,  JohnnyCashMusicfest.com.

Superstars Reba McEntire, Bobby Bare and Loretta Lynn will perform at this year’s Johnny Cash Music Festival. Additionally, legendary singer and comedian Mark Lowry will host the fourth annual event. The concert is set for August 15 and will once again take place at Arkansas State University’s Convocation Center.  Showtime is 7 p.m.

Proceeds from this year’s event will help to fund the restoration of the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home in Dyess, Ark., as well as support a scholarship fund established in the Cash’s name.

As most of you are probably aware the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) has made the decision to: “Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.”

At least it should be known that the NWTF isn’t going to stand by and continue to watch our resources dwindle until its too late to reverse things. It’s a well known fact that Habitat is being lost at an alarming rate and hunters numbers are declining nationally as well as turkey numbers are starting to slide.

The NWTF has many weapons to combat these issues but none can be successful without our great committees who host fundraisers and banquets throughout Missouri.

The simplest way each of us can help is to sign up kids 17 and under into the JAKES Program. This will get more kids and families involved and at least give a positive reflection of the NWTF and information into the homes of these new young members about what the NWTF does and what we stand for.

The local Chapter, The Crowley's Ridge Limbhangers,  has made it a goal to sign up at least 100 kids.  They will gather chidren's names and addresses now and submit them with the local Chapters Banquet to be held in Dexter on Friday, June 20th at the Eagles Lodge. Some of our Chapters are signing up 400 or more kids and getting many more people involved. It’s a Win Win.

Many of us aren’t personally involved in Habitat work unless its on our own property but the NWTF experts out there looking for opportunities to create and improve habitat and also looking for new areas to access or open up for public use. Where the local Chapters can really shine is recruiting the kids and new hunters, young or old, male or female, through mentoring, WITO and JAKES events.

No one else has the Outreach the NWTF has nor the people power to execute it as we do. IT IS UP TO US and I don’t want to ever look back and say, “I wish I had done more”.

WE are doing this for the GREATER GOOD and for those youngsters not even born so they may one day hear the thunderous gobble of the wild turkey and see the beautiful sunrise through the strutting tail fan of an approaching longbeard.

The TIME IS NOW and it’s the future of the hunt that’s at stake here and We have the power to make things better and leave things better than they were when some of us were young and new to hunting.  I thank you all for everything that you do.
 
Sincerely,
 
Larry
 
Larry L. Neal
Regional Director South Missouri
National Wild Turkey Federation

If you would like to join JAKES and come to the annual JAKES Day just contact Dale Kemp at 624-1283.  The event will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2014 and all children in Stoddard County under the age of 17 are invited to participate, but please register in advance.

Find them on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Shown in the photo is Bobby Shipman demonstrating bow shooting at the Annual JAKES Day in 2013.  It's hands-on so the students get an opportunity to shoot bow and shotguns as well as see much more.

We are contacting you in hopes that you will let your members know about a company who is taking advantage of local businesses, and misrepresenting themselves as being affiliated with River Radio.

LSM Media LLC has been calling area businesses and claiming to be representatives of Z95 The Bone/KJEZ/Z95 Radio. Even after questioning from the businesses, they keep up this falsehood. LSM Media is NOT in any way associated with River Radio or our radio station Z95 The Bone-KJEZ.

We would like to urge your members not to buy any advertising from them, because we will not accept any orders from LSM Media due to their unscrupulous behavior. If they have any questions about someone who has contacted them, please advise them to call River Radio at 573-785-0881.

Thank you for your help in this matter.

Sincerely,
John M. Rice
General Manager
Mississippi River Radio, LLC

KKLR-FM, KJEZ-FM, KWOC-AM
1015 W. Pine St.
Poplar Bluff, MO 63901
1(800)455-5962 Office
1(573)718-3491 Cell Voice/Text
johnr@riverradio.net Email

Dear Friend:
 
Thank you. Thank you for all your help and support.  What you have done has helped to make Missouri better.  We have done this by increasing our Republican strength statewide - by showing people that energy and commitment to principle can make a difference.  Thank you.
 
So many of our Republican successes - from the historic win in the special House election to the jam-packed June BBQ in Columbia to the nationally noticed Midwest Republican Leadership Conference in Kansas City to countless small meetings and contacts with new voters  - these are the fruit of your support.
 
For too many of us, our personal budgets are stretched thin by higher costs and lower pay.  At the Party, we run lean because we act like every dollar we spend is precious. Still, we need to raise funds to get our message in front of the voters!  And so, I have to ask for your help yet again.
 
Today, we launched a very special grassroots program called the Mighty Mo Victory Crew - it is designed to raise funds AND to hold the Party accountable through transparency and clear spending.  No more backroom efforts like the past.  We need to grow the party from the bottom up by earning trust.
 
Please Join the Crew!  By joining the crew for just $8.25 per month or $99 per year, your contribution will allow us improve our voter database; allowing us to move rapidly develop technology including an MRP mobile app, and build communities to assist in electing candidates statewide.  
 
Your membership entitles you to certain benefits. Those benefits include; being removed from both email and phone donation solicitation efforts by the Missouri Republican Party, the opportunity to join Chairman Martin and a special guest on a quarterly conference call to receive updates on the Party and finally the opportunity to attend a special crew member only event at Statewide Lincoln Days in February 2014.
 
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I leave you with my commitment that very dollar contributed will be spent with a single goal - to win and grow this Party for success on the Statewide level in 2014 and beyond.
I appreciate your continued support.
 
In Victory,

 
Ed Martin
Chairman, Missouri Republican Party
 
P.S. - You can make an online donation right now at Mighty Mo Victory Crew. We only have 68 days to reach our goal our 1000 crewmembers before 2014. Join today.