ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

I have made it no secret here about how big a theatre fan I am, and I am one of many who believes theatre should be accessible to everyone possible. Back in July 2020, “Hamilton” began a trend of helping with just that by releasing a pro shot of the production featuring the original Broadway cast for Disney+, and this year has seen the release of pro shots of other hit shows “SIX” and “Hadestown” in select movie theaters.

I was particularly excited to hear about the “Hadestown” release because I’ve heard a lot about it but have yet to actually a production, so when I finally found the pro shot online, I knew I had to watch it and see if it lived up to the hype ... which it TOTALLY did. For those who are unaware, “Hadestown” blends versions of the ancient Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone while explore enduring themes of struggle and poverty.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

As many probably read last week, the music world lost one of the greats in Dolly Parton.  Born in Tennessee and ultimately taking on a nearly six-decade career, I feel like she was one of the rare artists who truly fully pulled herself up by her bootstraps and “spoke her success into existence,” as the saying goes. And not only was she a success in the music world, she took on SEVERAL philanthropic causes particularly when it came to literacy for children and young people, making her one of the rare people who walked the walk AND talked the talk.

Her loss will truly make a big hole in the music world, and I recently got to thinking about some of my favorite songs from her, so I decided to share a handful that have been particularly meaningful to me throughout the years I’ve been listening to her. I know this column won’t even come close to scratching even part of the surface of Parton’s discography, so let me know what some of your favorites are!

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

September is right around the corner, which means it is nearly time for the annual High Plains Music Festival.

This year’s High Plains Music Festival will be Saturday, Sept. 12 at Dirtona Raceway just outside Hugoton, with the gates opening at 5:30 p.m. and the music starting at 6 p.m. This year's music lineup will include Cole Barnhill and Sterling Elza as co-headliners and Fox N' Vead as the opening act. Charities that will benefit from this year's event include Project Hope, Peace House Ministries, the Rolla Fire Department, Southwest Miracles, Hands Of Hope, Panhandle Partners, the Stevens County Fire Department, Love From Above, Hugoton After Prom, Boy Scouts Troop 189, and the Dust Bowl Riders. Coordinator Alisha Owens said there is a lot of excitement about this year’s fun.

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Those looking for an evening of good music and fun will soon have that with the High Plains Music Fest.

This year’s High Plains Music Festival will be Saturday, Sept. 12 at Dirtona Raceway just outside Hugoton, with the gates opening at 5 p.m. and the music starting at 6:30 p.m. This year's music lineup will include Cole Barnhill as one of the co-headlining bands, and as he tells it, music has been part of his life for a long time.

“I grew up in Lubbock, Texas my entire life, and Lubbock's a really big music town out here just because we're kind of separated from a lot of stuff,” Barnhill said. “If you play music out in West Texas, you come to Lubbock. I was born and raised there and had a lot of uh opportunities coming up in Lubbock. I started probably seven or eight years ago, or maybe even longer than that, doing open mic nights at local bars and places like that. We really started to get into the touring aspect of everything and traveling around the country about three or four years ago and we’ve been developing our sound ever since while seeing where the road takes us.”