Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce

   “Feed The Foothills” / Harmon Field Music Festival

Press Release

 Contact: Don Borreson  (404) 441-3940

Communities Join Together to ‘Feed The Foothills’

For Immediate Release – Tryon, North Carolina, July 30, 2021 (see contact info above)

The Foothills community has always had a heart for giving, ready to care for its neighbors in need. They also know how to have a good time when they get the chance. ‘Feed the Foothills’ is tailor-made for doing both, coming up on the last Saturday in September at Harmon Field in Tryon, North Carolina.

The Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce has designated the 2021 Harmon Field Music Festival as a benefit concert to support its newly-created food drive event, ‘Feed the Foothills’. This year, Festival admission is free with the donation of a non-perishable food item to help stock the food pantry shelves at Outreach in Columbus, NC and Operation Hope in Landrum, SC.  In addition to providing food, the Foothills Chamber has also organized a range of other exciting activities on September 25^th to help raise funds for the operation of both charities. Tryon Horse and Home is the Title Sponsor presenting ‘Feed the Foothills’, with Caitlyn Farms Beef also leading support for the event as Sustainability Sponsor.

At 9am, registration begins for a 4-town ‘Poker Run’ — where motorcycles and motorists follow a scenic route from 10am-3pm touring Saluda, Columbus, Landrum SC, Tryon and back to Harmon Field. Participants will draw poker chips at each stop, with the best 4-town score winning $500 cash. The ‘ante’ to join in the Poker Run is $20 per person with the donation of a food item (collected at sign-in). Pre-registration is also available online at www.FeedTheFoothills.com.

At 2pm, the first of four Harmon Field Music Festival bands hits the stage, kicking off six hours of bluegrass, country and rhythm & blues entertainment, featuring regional fan favorites Millbilly2, From the Holler, Lecretia Ann & ThunderRoad and headliner Mac Arnold & Plate Full o’ Blues. An array of popular Food Trucks will serve a wide variety of delicious food and beverage, sweets and snacks, with beer and wine also available for sale.     

Adding to the afternoon and evening enjoyment of fabulous music will be the fun of declaring the Poker Run winner and awarding a long list of valuable Raffle Prizes, including an ATV, $500 cash, luxury resort packages, authentic hand-crafted artisan treasures and gifts that celebrate our Foothills lifestyle.

Chamber President Cato Junge believes merging the ‘Feed the Foothills’ food drive with a benefit concert will have a strong impact for both Outreach and Operation Hope. “The Foothills Chamber wanted to showcase how our food bank partners serve families facing concerns in our area,” Junge explains. “The Music Festival draws good local crowds, and the Poker Run should attract even more visitors. This year’s line-up of performers all have a strong out-of-town following . . . so we plan on collecting a lot of food items for both charities.”

Junge is pleased that businesses and organizations all over the region are enthusiastic about the event, commenting, “The response for Sponsorships and donating Raffle Prizes has been nothing short of fantastic. Our Foothills community always steps up to support a good cause, and ‘Feed the Foothills’ clearly appeals to them.”

Both charities are thrilled to be working with the Foothills Chamber on the ‘Feed the Foothills’ collection drive, especially during a period when many families will experience food challenges. Outreach Development Director Margot Carter expressed her gratitude for the event, saying “Our friends at the Foothills Chamber of Commerce understand the problem of food insecurity, and have come up with a wonderful way to help out.”

Susan Tompkins, Director of Operation Hope, observed “’Feed the Foothills’ couldn’t come at a better time, since our food pantry will need replenishment this Fall. Operation Hope is grateful to the Chamber for the opportunity to showcase our partnership with Outreach. We love hearing about the community buzz about the event, and so appreciate the show of community support.”

CBL State Savings Bank is the designated Collection and Contributions Sponsor for ‘Feed the Foothills’. CBL President and CEO, Jennifer T. Jones, is dedicated to keeping community at the center of their long-standing mission. “CBL is a local bank, serving local people with great passion, and what better way than to join with Operation Hope and the Foothills Chamber,” Jones said. “It is heartbreaking to know that so many need additional food resources, and we know that ‘Feed the Foothills’ is an opportunity to meet a great need.”

For more information on ‘Feed the Foothills’, see FeedTheFoothills.com, call the Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce at (828) 859-6236, or visit CarolinaFoothillsChamber.com .  To learn more about Operation Hope, visit OperationHopeLandrum.org; for Outreach, visit www.TBOutreach.org .