2025 Festival of the Bells entertainment announced; event will feature changes in music, location

The 2025 Festival of the Bells will see changes in both entertainment and venue this summer, according to an announcement by Festival of the Bells committee president Tom Zile and vice president Tiffany McCoy Friday.

This year’s Festival will be held July 10-12 with the theme “Let the Good Times Roll,” with a return to the Highland County Fairgrounds for the first time in many years due to construction at Crossroads Park.

The Festival will open with the traditional Christian night with Christian pop artist Austin French. Friday will be an all-new featured night, called “Rock the Bell,” with two rock cover bands: CAPTURED Louisville, a Journey tribute band, and Simply Queen, a Queen tribute band, sponsored by Hillsboro Eagles 1161. Saturday will offer a variety of genres with several opening acts (Over the Herd, Kyle Norris, Sean Poole & Buckin Krazy) before ’90s country band Ricochet closes out as festival headliners.

“We are excited about this year and some of the changes that we have made,” McCoy said. “We know change is hard and hope that people are still willing to come out and not only support our vendors but also enjoy a weekend of free music and entertainment.”

According to a bio provided, French is “originally from small-town Georgia” and competed on ABC’s “Rising Star” (on which he placed second) and NBC’s “The Voice." His debut album, “Wide Open,” was released in 2018 and “features songs that speak to the ups and downs that inevitably occur while living the wide open life. The album is refreshing in its honesty, addressing the brokenness in all of us, providing empathy in our most painful moments as well as presenting the hope of Christ.”

French followed that album with "Wake Up Sleeper” in 2020 and “Broken Home” in 2024. According to his website, his singles have included “Freedom Hymn,” “Why God” and “Born Again. French is currently touring with We Are Messengers on the Where The Joy Is Tour.

McCoy said that Hillsboro Eagles 1161 has generously sponsored “not one but two headliners” for Friday for the inaugural “Rock the Bell” night.

“We are trying to bring more to the festival than just country music for those with other interests,” McCoy said. “We are excited about this change and think it will set us up for a great Friday night. We can’t thank the Eagles enough for their generous sponsorship.”

Friday night will kick off with CAPTURED Louisville, “a Journey tribute band known for its exceptional and authentic performances,” according to a provided biography. The group “has quickly established itself as one of the premier tribute acts in the country. Formed just a few years ago, the band has captivated audiences of all ages with its faithful renditions of Journey's classic hits and deep cuts.

“Vocalist Rob Maupin and guitarist Matt Coddington lead the charge, embodying the iconic aesthetics of Steve Perry and Neal Schon. Every member of CAPTURED Louisville is a seasoned, award-winning professional, ensuring an unforgettable concert experience.”

The night will conclude with Simply Queen, a “completely live tribute” band that performs all the iconic songs that have made Queen one of the most legendary rock bands of all time,” according to a provided bio. The group “faithfully recreates the grand scope of Queen's live shows – musically and visually capturing the amazing live Queen experience that has filled stadiums around the world.  

“The band is fronted by Freddie Mercury impersonator extraordinaire, Rick Rock (vocal/piano/guitar), CC Lambrick (guitar/keyboards/vocal), Mitch Taylor (bass/vocal) and Phil Charrette (drums/vocals). Based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, they are veteran musicians who have performed in festivals, theatres and arenas across North America and beyond.”

McCoy said that Saturday will be “full of music,” with something for everyone. The concert slate will begin with Over the Herd, a blues, folk and Americana trio, followed by local artists Kyle Norris, Sean Poole & Buckin Krazy as opening acts for headliner Ricochet.

According to their biography, “In 1996, the members of country supergroup Ricochet watched their debut single, ‘What Do I Know,’ rise to the Top 5, earning the band the honor of the highest-charting debut single of the year. The follow-up single release, ‘Daddy’s Money,’ became an immediate across-the-board hit, rising to #1 on the Radio & Records Country Singles Chart, the Gavin Country Singles Chart and the Billboard Country Singles Chart (where it stayed #1 for two consecutive weeks).

“The band’s distinctive musical style and intricate harmonies earned them the recognition as one of the most popular vocal groups in country music, a mantle they still wear today.”

Along with the annual concert series, McCoy said festival attendees can expect a variety of “fun events for the entire family throughout the weekend,” including a return of the Queens Contest for its second year.

“We are excited to bring back the Queens Contest sponsored by the Hillsboro Jr. Women’s Club,” McCoy said. “Thanks to their sponsorship, we are able to offer our newly crowned queen with a $500 college scholarship.

“Like normal, Saturday is our busiest day with our 5K, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, car show, parade and more. A schedule will be out next month with all of the new exciting events.
Craft vendors will be open the entire weekend, along with some amazing food vendors.”

McCoy said the parade will be held Saturday at noon, with lineup starting the old Hillsboro High School parking lot.

“This is free to enter, and we are hoping to see more local businesses, old tractors, old cars not in the car show, and anyone else interested take the time to participate,” she said. “It’s always a fun event for those families who show up to watch.”

Although the activities will remain the same as previous years, McCoy spoke about the big change in venue, as construction will be taking place at Crossroads Park — what is hoped to be the permanent home of the festival — through much of 2025.

“The biggest change this year will consist of a change in our location,” McCoy said. “Although we are anxiously awaiting the finished renovations of Crossroads Park, we wanted to keep the festival alive, and that meant coming up with a new temporary location.

“This year, the Festival will be held at the Highland County Fairgrounds. We were hopeful it could remain at the green space; however, due to the renovations, we were advised we had to make the temporary change.”
 
McCoy concluded by thanking the Festival’s sponsors and encouraging the community to consider supporting the annual summer highlight.

“As always, we want to thank our sponsors,” McCoy said. “We couldn’t continue to do this event without their support. As with everything in the world, costs are rising, which means the festival is costing more and more to produce. We want to continue offering this event to the public for free and couldn’t possibly begin to do that without our amazing sponsors.

“This year, we made changes to our sponsorship levels, making sponsorship more available for not only businesses, but families and individuals. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please reach out to one of the committee members or contact us through our Facebook page.”

For updates on this year’s Festival, please follow the committee at https://www.facebook.com/festivalofthebells.

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