Bluegrass and Barbecue returns to Fulton State Hospital

For the seventh year in a row, the air at the Fulton State Hospital lawn will soon be filled with the smell of tangy barbecue and the sound of twangy music.

The Fulton State Hospital Foundation's Bluegrass and Barbecue concert will return noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8. In the event of rain, it will be held in the same time in the hospital's main canteen, in the Administration Building.

Tickets cost $5 per person, with people 16 and younger admitted for free with parents.

Susan Groves, hospital foundation board member, said the event was one of the biggest fundraisers for the group, which provides financial assistance to the hospital and its clients for services the state does not provide such as gas cards to help out-of-town families visit loved ones receiving care there.

"Every year it keeps getting bigger," Groves said. "All the bands that were there last year enjoyed it so much they are anxious to come back. I've even had a band in the Kansas City area call and say they wanted to come, and I had to tell them we were booked."

This year marks a new emcee as well - Auxvasse pastor Jim Cruickshank.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.