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Award-winning musicians Charlie Daniels Band and Randy Owen will highlight the first night of Punkin Chunkin Friday, Oct. 31, during the concert that will rock Bridgeville and set the stage for a weekend of time-honored gourd hurling.
The Charlie Daniels Band, returning for its second concert at the World Championship Punkin Chunkin, is perhaps best known for the hit songs “The South’s Gonna Do It Again” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The Southern-rock group last year released the album “Deuces,” with old favorites “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “Let It Be Me.”
Bandleader Charlie Daniels has remained an active singer, song writer, guitarist and fiddler since beginning his career in the 1950s. His band has earned three Grammy Awards, been nominated for five Grammys and won Country Music Association awards five times.
The band earned two Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, three Christian Country Music Association awards, six Broadcast Music Inc. awards, an Academy of Country Music award and a Nashville Music award.
Daniels, who serves on the board at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, was named a living legend during the The Nashville Network Music City News Awards in 1999.
He and the band have also been honored numerous times for videos, books and their extensive humanitarian contributions.
Owen was best known as the lead singer for Alabama before starting his solo career. While Owen was performing with Alabama, the group sold 73 million albums, including 21 gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums and 42 No. 1 singles. The band was named entertainer of the year and earned two Grammy Awards and two People’s Choice awards. The Academy of Country Music named Alabama the artist of the decade in 1989, and in 1999, the Recording Industry Association of America named it the country group of the century.
Owen has long been involved in charity work. He prompted the Country Cares for St. Jude Kids radiothon nearly 20 years ago, when he challenged other artists to raise funds for the children’s hospital after learning about founder Danny Thomas’ death. Since then, the radiothon has raised more than $315 million for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, which is among the primary recipients of the Punkin Chunkin charity donations.
Owen released his first single, “Braid My Hair,” earlier this year, and all sales proceeds from those song sales have been donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. His new album, “One On One,” is set to be released just days after Punkin Chunkin: Nov. 11.
Concert tickets are $40 per person. Admission to the chunk is $7 per person in advance and $9 at the gate daily. Children younger than 10 are admitted free. However, those who buy concert tickets get in free on Friday. Parking is $2. Concert gates open at 5:30 p.m.; the show starts at 7 p.m. For more information, call the Punkin Chunkin Association office at 684-8196.
Tickets are now available at punkinchunkin.com, Lewes Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, Seaford Chamber of Commerce, Harley Davidson of Seaford, Cape Gazette or by calling Frank Shade at 542-5582.
This year’s World Championship Punkin Chunkin, set for Friday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 2, will be at the Dale Wheatley farm in Bridgeville. This is the second year for the event at its new location, which has close to 1,000 acres to accommodate the 55,000 people who attend the annual pumpkin-pitching contest.
Camping is available at the site, and this year there will be parking available behind the firing lines for the first 300 vehicles.
For directions or more information about the organization, the competitions, schedule of events, camping options or to order tickets, visit • www.punkinchunkin.com
Punkin Chunkin concert info
Friday, Oct. 31
Concert gates open at 5:30 p.m.
Concert starts at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $40
Ticket sales locations:
• Cape Gazette
• Lewes Chamber of Commerce
• Seaford Chamber of Commerce
• Harley Davidson of Seaford
• www.punkinchunkin.com
• Frank Shade, 542-5582
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