The country music duo Halfway to Hazard calls what happened over the weekend overwhelming.
Not only did they play for a huge crowd at the Black Gold Festival, but their first charity trail ride brought in thousands of people from as far away as Canada.
The day began with hundreds of ATV's lining up on the Abner Farm in Crockettsville, a tiny community near the Breathitt-Perry County line.
Many folks were impressed, including one of Halfway to Hazard's guests.
“I got to ride the trails and get on the four wheeler. I had a blast. It was my first time to Kentucky too, and everybody's just great here,” says Gabe Garcia, “Nashville Star” Runner-Up.
“This could be an eastern Kentucky Woodstock,” says Bernie Faulkner, who helped organize the event.
But this Woodstock would have dust instead of mud and be more family friendly.
“Because of surface mining, we have these trails all over our mountains to give us adventure tourism. I see horses out here and four wheelers; it's a family thing,” says Faulkner.
“It's amazing that this is an idea Chad and I had, and now it's come to fruition,” says David Tolliver of Halfway to Hazard.
The proceeds from the Charity Trail Ride will go to the Buckhorn Children's Center, and officials here say the money could not come at a better time.
“Budget cuts statewide are impacting everybody. It's just a tremendous boost. We appreciate the community effort and appreciate everybody contributing to the mission of the agency,” says Rich Word, Campus Director.
The trail ride was just the beginning. From hot air balloon rides to corn hole, the fun continued into the evening.
After the ribbon cutting ceremony for the East Kentucky Regional Trail System that covers six counties, autographed guitars and other items were handed out, and the music continued for hours.
Halfway to Hazard invited several celebrity guests to perform at the concert. Those included Danielle Peck, Randy Houser, the group Whiskey Falls, "Nashville Star" runner-up Gabe Garcia and Jeremy Popoff, a guitar player in the rock band "Lit."
Finally, just before nine o'clock, it's time for Halfway to Hazard, and they made thousands of fans happy.
Chad Warrix and David Tolliver say the support from eastern Kentucky continues to be unmatched.
“We're out there facing difficult odds, this is a very tough business, so it's nice to know that people believe in us,” says Warrix.
Organizers hope to make the charity trail ride and concert an annual event.