Country Music Weekend Set Oct. 22, 23 in Wildwood

WILDWOOD — The Wildwoods will welcome country music stars and their fans for the first Wildwoods Country Music Weekend, October 22-23. T
he event will feature performances by 25-year veteran country group Sawyer Brown, and rising stars like Josh Gracin of “American Idol” fame, and Bomshel, a 2010 Academy of Country Music nominee for Best Vocal Duo.
The Wildwoods Country Music Weekend will kick off with the Starlight Roadhouse Country Dance Party on Fri., Oct. 22, 8 p.m. to midnight in the Wildwoods Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk in Wildwood. It features live country dance music by After the Reign, contemporary country DJ Cowboy Kenn between sets, and line dancing lessons with Vicki Cusack.
After the Reign has played across the country, opening for Diamond Rio, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, and Johnny Paycheck. General admission tickets are $12 per person and are on sale at www.WildwoodsCountry.com, or by phone at 888-448-7641.
The Country Festival in the Wildwoods on Sat., Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Fox Park (adjacent to the Wildwoods Convention Center) will feature live music by Tequila Rose, Due South, and the Ann Oswald Band. Admission is free.
Plans for the festival also include a vintage pickup truck show, vendors selling country attire and memorabilia, crafts, food, contests and more. It is presented in cooperation with the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce.
Sawyer Brown will headline the Wildwoods Country Showcase concert Saturday, Oct. 23, 7p.m. in the Wildwoods Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk. The concert also features Josh Gracin and Bomshel, Tickets for the concert are $42.95 for arena seats and $52.95 for floor-level seats, and are available for sale at www.WildwoodsCountry.com, or by phone at 888-448-7641.
Sawyer Brown has been called “the Rolling Stones of country music.” More than 25 years after their grand prize triumph on “Star Search,” Sawyer Brown´s live shows are legendary for the excitement, energy and emotion they generate. Lead singer Mark Miller’s boundless stage energy and the band’s infectious delight in playing together keeps fans coming back time after time. Sawyer Brown is preparing a new CD, their 22nd, titled “Travelin´ Band” for release this year.
Josh Gracin´s big break came when he appeared on “American Idol” during its second season. A Lance Corporal in the Marines at the time, Gracin sang Rascal Flatts´ “I´m Movin´ On” on one episode. The guys in Rascal Flatts saw the show and, impressed with Gracin´s talent, put him in touch with their producer. Quickly signed to a recording contract, Gracin´s self-titled first album was released in 2004, and reached number-two on the U.S. Country charts.
It was followed by “We Weren´t Crazy” four years later. Gracin has a new single, “Cover Girl,” now getting airplay on country radio, and a new CD coming out this year.
Curb Records recording duo Bomshel consists of Idaho native Kristy Osmonson (known as Kristy O.) on fiddle and vocals and Michigan-born Kelley Shepard on guitar and vocals. Bomshel charted its first single, “(It was an Absolutely, Finger Lickin’, Grits and Chicken,) Country Music Love Song,” in 2006. Another single, “The Power of One,” was featured on the soundtrack of the 2007 film “Evan Almighty” starring Steve Carell.
Osmonson began touring the Northwest and Canada at age 4 in a group called the Fiddler’s Hatchery. Shepard received a career break when she sent a tape to The Ellen Degeneres Show, where she was noticed by singer-songwriter Brian McKnight, who began developing her early songwriting career.
Bomshel released its first CD, “Fight Like a Girl,” in 2009. The third single from that CD, “Just Fine,” is now playing on country radio.
The Wildwoods Country Music Weekend is presented by Briteway Entertainment LLC, and is funded in part by the Greater Wildwood Tourism Improvement and Development Authority. Tickets for the first Wildwoods Country Music Weekend, October 22-23, are now available at the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce information center at Exit 11 on the Garden State Parkway in Court House. For information and tickets, visit www.Wildwoods Country.com or call toll-free 888-448-7641.