Arkansas State University has announced a new celebration of the life and music of international music icon Johnny Cash. In October 2017, the Johnny Cash Heritage Festival takes place in Dyess, Arkansas, which is Johnny Cash’s Boyhood Home. The announcement was made over the weekend. The Heritage Festival will take place over three days, and will combine an academic conference with concerts that will take place in the town square, and in the cotton fields that surround the home. Dr. Ruth Hawkins is the executive director of the Arkansas Heritage Sites. She says this announcement fulfills a wish from Johnny’s daughter, Rosanne Cash, to move a major event from Jonesboro to Dyess. Previous events were known as the Johnny Cash Music Festival.
Johnny’s two living siblings, Joanne Cash Yates and Tommy Cash, were on hand for the announcement. Joanne hopes the public will learn more about what life was like in the sunken lands.
"I think that this is about the people. It is about the many families who lived in the Dyess colony that survived and worked so hard to make a living and raise a family," stated Yates.
The announcement of the Heritage Festival was also held at the same time the DyessTheatre’s Visitor’s Center opened. Tommy ran one of the movie projectors in 1955 and said he was speechless when he saw the renovations.
"I am in awe over how this looks and I can't wait to see the future renovations that take place here," said Cash.
Ruth Hawkins says proceeds from the 2017 Johnny Cash Heritage Festival will help continue with future projects at the Dyess Colony.
"The next phase will be to re-create the farmstead buildings at the Cash Boyhood home and to provide other needed services and amenities for heritage tourists who come to visit the site," stated Dr. Hawkins.
The Heritage Festival will take place October 19th through the 21st, 2017. Hawkins expects tourism from the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home, and events like the festival, to bring in at least 10 million dollars annually in tourism. Hawkins says signs will be placed on Interstate 55 next month to direct people toward Dyess.
