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Communities join together to ‘Feed the Foothills’

People in the Foothills have a heart for giving, always ready to care for their neighbors in need. They also know how to have a good time when they get the opportunity. ‘Feed the Foothills’ will give them the chance to do both on Saturday, September 25 at Harmon Field in Tryon.

The Carolina Foothills Chamber of Commerce designated their 2021 Harmon Field Music Festival as a benefit concert to support its newly created food drive event, ‘Feed the Foothills’. This year’s festival admission is free with the donation of a non-perishable food item to help stock the food pantry shelves at Thermal Belt Outreach in Columbus and Operation Hope in Landrum. In addition to collecting food, the Chamber has also organized other entertaining activities to raise funds for both charities. 

The fun at Harmon Field starts at 10 am with “The Mane Event”. Families with children can enjoy pony rides, a petting zoo and hayrides, plus they can horse around in a variety of games. They can also meet “Ivan and Nikki, the Famous Fresian Stallions”. Ice cream, cotton candy and candy apple treats will also be available. 

Also at 10 am, registration begins for a 4-town ‘Poker Run’ — where motorcycles and motorists can follow a scenic route from 10 am to 3 pm, touring Saluda, Columbus, Landrum and Tryon, then back to Harmon Field. Participants will draw poker chips at each stop, with the best 4-town score winning $500. There is an ‘ante’ to join in the Poker Run along with the donation of a food item collected at sign-in, also good for concert admission. Pre-registration is available online at FeedtheFoothills.com. 

From 2 pm to 8 pm, four fabulous bands will perform, starting with Millbilly2, followed by From the Holler, Lecretia Ann & Thunder Road, concluding with and Mac Arnold and Plate Full O’ Blues. Adding to the on-stage energy will be the announcement of the Poker Run winner, as well as awarding a long list of exciting Raffle Palooza prizes – including a 4WD ATV, luxury resort packages, fine dining gift certificates and authentic hand-crafted treasures from Foothills artisans.

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 hunger 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 musicians all have a strong following . . . so we plan on collecting a lot of food items for both charities.”

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 re-stocking this Fall. Operation Hope is grateful to the Chamber for the opportunity to showcase our partnership with Outreach. We love hearing all the community buzz about the event, and we appreciate the show of genuine support.”

For more information visit FeedTheFoothills.com, call 828-859-6236 or visit CarolinaFoothillsChamber.com.  

Submitted by Don Borreson