Arts for All festival postponed to 2022
Country music singer Trace Adkins will headline Fort Sill’s Armed Forces Day Concert this Saturday on Polo Field.
The concert will be free and open to the public, and gates will open at 6 p.m. The 77th Army Band will play at 6:30 p.m., followed by special guest The Powell Brothers and Adkins.
Adkins, who has been a country star for more than two decades, has sold 11 million albums, charted more than 20 singles and won numerous awards. But he said he is particularly honored to give something back to members of the military and veterans.
“The last few albums, we’ve always tried to include a song that pays tribute to the men and women who serve,” he said. “I appreciate them. They’ve got my back, and I want to let them know I’ve got theirs, too.”
The Powell Brothers is an American country duo fronted by brothers Taylor Powell (lead vocals, guitar, bass) and Blake Powell (vocals, bass, guitar). With a unique blend of genres, thoughtful lyrics and memorable musicianship, they have garnered a vast and diverse following. Their releases include seven singles, three extended-play records and one full-length album.
The Powell Brothers kicked off 2021 by releasing "Twenty Twenty,” a five-track extended play featuring the hit radio single “How It’s Done.”
COVID mitigation measures will be in place during the concert, according to a news release from the post’s Public Affairs Office. Social distancing circles will be marked on the ground in the general seating area of Polo Field. The circled areas are meant to accommodate groups of four, with 6 feet of space between circles.
Hand sanitization stations will be placed throughout the field, and vendors and latrines will be spaced out to accommodate maintaining physical distance.
In a related matter, the City of Lawton Freedom Festival returns this year with live entertainment and a fireworks show at Elmer Thomas Park on June 26.
Last year’s festival was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This year’s event will start in the late afternoon or early evening, reducing the festival hours from the typical 14+ to 5 or 6 instead, in order to avoid some of the typical summer heat, Deputy City Manager Bart Hadley said. The 2019 festival was held during a long day of high temperatures that resulted in a record number of medical emergency calls, city officials recalled.
Despite the shorter hours, the 2021 festival will include family activities and live music featuring the 77th Army Band, followed by what is billed as one of the largest fireworks shows in the region.
Another entertainment event, the annual Lawton Arts for All festival typically held in early May, has been postponed again: to Mother’s Day weekend (May 6-8) 2022 in Shepler Park. The three-day event was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sponsors of the event report that artists and vendors who were “juried in” for 2020 are automatically “in” for next year’s festival.