At the risk of sounding like a broken record, but in this case, I don't mind because it's a good thing, another good sign we getting closer every day to putting the worst of the COVID pandemic behind is the return of live events. Several country artists have announced returns to the road, many of whom are making the Tri-State part of those plans, and many of the annual events we know and love have announced they'll return in 2021 after canceling in 2020. That now includes one of my favorites, the Sandy Lee Watkins Songfest in Henderson, KY.

The event brings in several songwriters from the region and some from Nashville for four nights of performances at three different venues in downtown Henderson to play several songs acoustically they've either written for themselves or for others, and the stories behind how those songs came to be. For example, the writer behind Garth Brooks' "The Dance," and Brad Paisley's "Waitin' on a Woman."

Performances this year will take place at Hometown Roots on the corner of 2nd and North Main Streets, along with Rookies Sportsbar just down 2nd Street toward the river. This year's festival will happen Wednesday, July 28th through Saturday, July 31st beginning at 6:45 p.m. each night.

Tickets for the event are on sale now however, there are a few changes this year. In the past, all-access passes were available that allowed you to bounce between the different venues to take in as many performances as you wanted each night as they happened simultaneously. That will not be the case this year as only single-session tickets will be available for each show. There will be one performance each night on Wednesday, July 28th, and Thursday, July 29th, and two performances each night on that Friday and Saturday. Organizers strongly encourage you to get your tickets in advance as they cannot guarantee tickets will be available at the door. Click or tap the button below to get your tickets through the Songfest website.

If you've never attended the Songfest, I can't recommend it enough. I went for the first time in 2019, and both my wife and I left there raving about how entertaining it is. Many of the songwriters are friends and play off each other well, and the songs range from funny to heartfelt. Proceeds from the event will be given to Henderson area non-profits, and high school students interested in pursuing a career in the arts.

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