ABC 27 WTXL-TV has partnered with the Wakulla County Historical Society to present Lari White and Friends Wakulla Homecoming: A Heritage Event featuring Lari White, Chuck Cannon, Bryan Edwards, Rick Ott, Lindsay Sparkman, and Jerry Evans on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 7:00 PM in the auditorium of Wakulla High School, 3237 Coastal Highway, Crawfordville, Florida. The concert is A From the Heart Studio Concert Production.
According to Murray McLaughlin, Vice President/Heritage Village Park, ABC 27 is the exclusive broadcast television partner for the concert. Local Sales Manager Derek Wright indicated a promotional schedule on WTXL and Bounce will begin April 6.
Concert tickets for $35/$30/$20 are available online at www.wakullahistory.org and through the Museum Gift Shop during business hours at 24 High Drive in Crawfordville. Telephone 850-926-1110 for information.
Lari White and Chuck Cannon are coming from Nashville to perform donating their time and talent for the event from which all proceeds will benefit Heritage Village Park. Lari has “deep roots in Wakulla County” as her father, Larry White, was born and raised here and graduated Sopchoppy High School. Her grandparents Cortez and Rosebud White lived in Medart. Rosebud was one of the siblings who lived for a time in the McLaughlin House. Lari’s mother, Yvonne, grew up in the small North Florida town of Vernon. Chuck Cannon has family roots in Jefferson County. “Chuck with Lari as headline performers is a huge contribution for a successful event,” said Rick Ott, Concert Producer.
Another Nashville star coming home to perform is Bryan Edwards who attended Crawfordville Elementary School in the mid-1980s when his parents, Rev. Clark and Donna Edwards pastored the United Methodist Church. Clark Edwards grew up in Lamont, Jefferson County, Florida. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, and playing in the “suburbs” of Aucilla. Donna lived in Tallahassee and graduated from Leon High School.
Among Lari’s local friends are the heart and soul trio of Sopchoppy who often perform together—Rick Ott, Lindsay Sparkman and Jerry Evans. Commenting on his willingness to participate Jerry Evans mentioned a recent discovery of history unique to his family in South Florida saying, “We support the Historical Society’s effort to preserve hidden treasures to be found in our heritage.”
Heritage Village Park is to be a living history museum and activity venue located in northern Wakulla County. Comparable settings to illustrate goals for the Park include the five-acre Panhandle Pioneer Settlement in Blountstown, Florida and Historic Westville in Lumpkin, Georgia. There are seven homes and two schools in the Historical Society’s collection of “cracker houses” from the late 1800s and early 1900s to be preserved and restored. Progress is remarkable since 2012 when forty acres on Zion Hill Road was donated to the Historical Society for the park. On February 4, 2013 the Smith Creek school house was moved to the property. Lari White’s 1892 ancestral home, The John Archie and Annie Carraway McLaughlin House was moved from Medart to Zion Hill Road on September 10, 2014. Both buildings are temporarily staged and with anticipated grant funding beginning in July, the structures will be placed on engineered foundations with stabilization repairs. Proceeds from the benefit concert will be used to complete the surveying for Phase One, develop the pathways, install needed infrastructure, and storm water management plans. These things are needed before the public can begin to have access to the site.
Established levels of sponsorship to be recognized at the concert and published by the Historical Society are Heritage Champions $1,000; Heritage Keepers $500; Heritage Builders $250; and Heritage Friends $100. Monetary support should be directed to WCHS-HVP, Post Office Box 151, Crawfordville FL 32326.
View the event in the events calendar
