Last week, December 16th was the first night of the annual two-day bus event hosted by middle Tennessee’s non-profit Christmas 4 Kids. Artists and fans braved the bad weather which included flash flood warnings and severe thunderstorms to show their support for this amazing charity.
The event takes place every December in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville in the local Wal-Mart parking lot. Roughly 100 artist tour buses are decorated with Christmas decor and are full of candy, cookies & hot chocolate. This unique experience let’s fans get up close and personal with some of their favorite artists while offering an idea of what life is like on the road. This year’s main artists included 3 Doors Down, Bucky Covington, Exile, Tyler Farr & T. Graham Brown along with up-and-comers & popular local writers Allie Colleen, Lockwood Barr, Megan Barker, Phillip Clyde Bernier and Dallas Remington. Jamie O’Neal & Chris Kirkpatrick of N’Sync were slated to appear but unable to make it due to the weather.
The following day, buses picked up over 400 under-privileged students from the area and give them a memory they will never forget. After a day full of partying, lunch, music and meet-and-greets with Santa, the buses will return to Wal-Mart with children in tow for the main event. After rolling in with lights flashing and horns blaring, the kids will get off the buses and each one will be met by their very own shopping assistant. These 400 volunteers will help the children pick out a new coat and assist in a shopping spree where each child receives $175 to spend on anything they want.
Fundraising for the event occurs all year long throughout the community and includes a golf tournament in May and a concert in November. This year’s concert held at the historic Ryman Auditorium featured artists Lonestar, Eddie Montgomery, Matt Ramsey (Old Dominion) and Jamie O’Neal & hit-writers Phil Vassar, Craig Wiseman and Jeffrey Steele.
Christmas 4 Kids has been serving the community for over 35 years. For more information on the organization’s annual events visit christmas4kids.org and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Written by Josie Bisto for Country Music Pride
