Johnson County unveils Copperhead Road landmark, music festival to begin Saturday
BUTLER, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Johnson County Tourism Office unveiled the Copperhead Road landmark on Friday. The landmark is inspired by Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road,” which Governor Lee named Tennessee’s 12th state song.
The landmark honors the song’s local connection. The design focuses on a customized 1949 Dodge Sedan and a mural from Bluegrass star Tim White. It is located at the Watauga Lake Winery.
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News Channel 11 spoke with Sheila Caldwell, who talked about the decision-making process for the landmark’s design.
“We began with some concepts and that continued to grow,” she said. “We wanted to stay true to the song because it’s about a Dodge, and we began the quest. It took a couple of months to find the right Dodge, but it’s a 1949 Dodge. And then to find a mural artist, because we wanted to have a mural we didn’t want to wrap.”
Caldwell said the landmark deserves a weekend-long celebration. Thus, the start of the Copperhead Road Music Fest.
“We unveiled the landmark, and we decided that wasn’t enough work,” she said. “So we would create a music fest and bring some of that music to this end of the county. So this weekend we are launching the Copperhead Road Music Fest, which we hope will become a larger Memorial Day event.”
Copperhead Road Landmark unveiling, Music Fest through Memorial Day Weekend
The Copperhead Road Music Fest will begin on Saturday. There will be food and drinks, and attendees will receive Copperhead Road souvenirs. The county will welcome live performances from Tim White and the Troublesome Hollow, the Twang Bangers and Julie and Willie.
Due to limited seating, tickets will be required to enter the music festival. Those interested in purchasing a ticket can do so here. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Museum of Butler Tennessee.
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