Tickets going fast for Helping Hands benefit concert

Early ticket sales for the Rector High School Helping Hands Foundation's second benefit concert Tuesday, Aug. 4, strongly indicate this show will be a sellout.

Two hundred fifty premium seats at $50 each already are completely gone, and sales of general admission seats at $20 each are going quickly.

Those who wish to be a part of this amazing night of gospel/bluegrass music are urged to buy tickets now at Glen Sain Motors locations in Rector, Kennett or Paragould, at Liberty Bank locations in Rector and Paragould, Piggott State Bank or at the Arkansas State University ticket office in Jonesboro. Those who wish to order tickets online may go to: tickets@astate.edu, and tickets also may be reserved by calling the office of Foundation president Sherland Hamilton at (870) 595-3501.

Ticket sales began Friday, May 15, for the event, which will feature gospel great Guy Penrod, multiple Grammy winner Russ Taff, hot new bluegrass group Dailey & Vincent and famed gospel/bluegrass artists The Isaacs. Gospel artist Kevin Williams will return as emcee.

All of the artists are donating their time for the concert, and all proceeds will go to the Foundation for its work in assisting temporarily disadvantaged Rector students.

The Helping Hands Foundation spent over $21,000 in 2008 providing dental care, vision care, registration fees for athletic clinics, academic conference fees, food for athletic trips, Christmas gifts for needy students and their families, uniforms and/or costumes for school events, senior photos, athletic equipment and much more.

The concert is made possible by Rector native Bill Carter of Lebanon, Tenn., a Nashville music producer who has worked for years with the Bill Gaither Gospel Programs. Carter established the Foundation in 2006 along with former classmate U.S. Army Major General (ret.) George Barker of New York, and its 21 board members, who hail from all over the country, serve voluntarily to assist in this very worthwhile effort.