The 2024 edition of the Howdy Neighbor Day Festival is set for Saturday, October 5, at the Jena Town Park.
Gates will open at 9 a.m. with events, activities and entertainment held all day and into the night. Admission prices are $5 for ages 5-10 and $10 for ages 16 and up. Children under 5 are admitted free.
Along with many children activities and games, there will be plenty of fun, food and crafts from a large number of vendors.
Music and other entertainment will take place at the amphitheater all day long and in the late afternoon/ evening time bands will include James Kelly, Shane Paul & Friends, The Mountain View Connection and Avery Michaels & Exit 209.
This year, the featured artist will be Ronnie McDowell and he and his band will take the stage at 8 p.m. Ronnie has an amazing string of hit songs that he has amassed over the years but it is his riveting stage presence and genuine warmth that fills the seats again and again. At the conclusion of McDowell’s performance, fireworks will be set off to conclude the 2024 Howdy Neighbor Day Festival.
About Ronnie McDowell
Following the death of Elvis Presley in 1977, Ronnie McDowell came out of nowhere to dazzle the world with his heartfelt and selfpenned tribute song “The King Is Gone” on the independent Scorpion label. The record took off immediately, gaining airplay on country and pop stations across the country and around the world. To date, “The King Is Gone” has sold more than five million copies.
All of a sudden, the young Vietnam Veteran from Portland, Tennessee was a star, and he quickly proved that he wasn’t just a one-trick pony. McDowell scored a second hit for the Scorpion label titled “I Love You, I Love You, I Love You” before being wooed and signed by CBS Records – Epic label in 1979. Ronnie McDowell charted a string of hit singles and albums for Epic between 1979 and 1986. Every single release with the exception of just one became a Top 10 Hit including the chart toppers “Older Women” and “You’re Gonna Ruin My Bad Reputation.” Other hits during his Epic years included “Watchin Girls Go By,” “Personally,” “You Made A Wanted Man Of Me,” “All Tied Up,” and “In A New York Minute.”
McDowell toured constantly to support each album release and consequently built an astounding fan base throughout the country. He sought the advice of artists such as Conway Twitty who became, in essence, not only his mentor but his friend as well. Twitty helped the young singer with advice about touring, recording and most of all entertaining the fans. Twitty was certainly the master and Ronnie McDowell quickly became his prize pupil.
Moving to Curb Records in 1986, his current label to date, McDowell scored a Top 10 hit with “It’s Only Make Believe,” a duet with Conway Twitty on what was Twitty’s breakthrough hit from 1958. Two years later Ronnie teamed up with Jerry Lee Lewis for a rocking duet that McDowell wrote titled, ”You’re Never Too Old To Rock N’ Roll.” He also recorded yet another Top 10 hit with his version of the pop standard “Unchained Melody,” which also became a #1 country music video. To date, McDowell has scored over 30 top ten records. His entertaining abilities soared, and he began to draw larger crowds. He started appearing in larger venues and touring with artists such as Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn before headlining his own shows.
For more information, visit the “Howdy Neighbor Day – Jena” Facebook page.