Officials have confirmed a field in Irwin will be part of Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour 2018.
Aaron Boerger, owner and operator of Spring Fork Farms, has confirmed the farm will host the tour’s opening concert on Sept. 27.
“They just kind of decided they wanted this area and they picked the spot,” Boerger said.
Boerger said the parking will open at 2 p.m. with the concert beginning at 5 p.m. Opening acts for the six-engagement tour have not been announced.
He said officials from Bryan’s management team approached farm officials about using the site.
“Obviously, we are very pleased,” Boerger said.
He said tour officials wanted a rural site near Columbus. Boerger said he is expecting 20,000 fans and 7,000 vehicles for the concert. He said the farm, which totals at about 1,400 acres, will offer a 12-acre concert pad and 88 acres of parking.
Boerger said he is “100 percent confident” in the logistics of the event. Officials from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, however, have repeatedly denied they have been working toward a plan.
This is the 10th year for the Luke Bryan Farm Tour. Each year, he selects between six and eight farms. He has said he likes to choose farms in areas that do not often see major concerts. The Farm Tour concerts are usually held on consecutive weekends in the fall.
Boerger said tickets are not available yet. He said they will likely go on sale in “mid June.” He said the details of the tour or ticket sales “aren’t going to be released yet.”
Bryan grew up on a peanut farm in Georgia. In a prior interview with the Associated Press, Bryan said he spent much of his life “thinking I would work in agriculture.”
“I could have farmed the rest of my life and really had a fun, happy enjoyable life,” Bryan told the Associated Press.
He has said the Farm Tour is an extension of his appreciation for farmers.
“This is his way to give back,” Boerger said.
Through the Farm Tour, Bryan has funded more than 50 scholarships, granted to farm-family students in the concert areas. Boerger said Bryan will continue that practice by creating a scholarship “to give back to the local area.”
The Luke Bryan concert will be one of several major concerts planned for this summer. Earlier this spring, the All Ohio Balloon Fest announced LoCash will perform Friday, Aug. 10. LoCash will begin playing at 8 p.m. Country acts Michael Christopher and Jacked Up will open for LoCash.
The All Ohio Balloon Fest will also have a major musical announcement June 15. Because of contractual restrictions, the festival cannot announce the group name until that date. Festival organizers have signed a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act to perform Thursday, Aug. 9. Those interested in the concert can go online to the festival’s website at www.allohioballonfest.com or visit the event’s Facebook page.
Additionally, Blu Kuda and Bon Journey will perform Saturday, Aug. 11, at the festival.
The Union County Convention and Visitors Bureau was contacted for comment, though as of press time, there was no one available for comment.