Free concert at McKinnon to increase awareness of Raleigh’s Place
Published 7:07 pm Thursday, June 19, 2014
A concert Friday at McKinnon Toyota Nissan will benefit a local charity–with help from local performers.
The Peach Kickoff Summer Concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the dealership, located at 235 County Road 450 in Clanton, just off Interstate 65 Exit 212.
The event will be held between the Toyota and Nissan dealerships that both fall under the McKinnon umbrella.
Album release: The Peach Kickoff event at McKinnon will serve as an album release concert for Grayson Russell’s “Wherever I Go.”
Mark McKinnon of McKinnon Toyota Nissan said the purpose of the concert is to increase awareness about Raleigh’s Place, a home and camp for the fatherless based in Chilton County.
McKinnon said Raleigh’s Place founders Tim and Sharon King influenced him and his wife to adopt locally.
Raleigh’s Place is a Christian-centered home and camp for children who are temporarily or permanently removed from their homes. The ministry offers homes, a summer camp for children in foster homes or institutional settings, and a mentor program for children who have participated in the camp.
For more information about Raleigh’s Place, visit RaleighsPlace.org.
The McKinnons adopted their first child, Colton, after serving as his foster parents.
“It didn’t take long for us to fall in love with him,” McKinnon said.
The couple is in the process of adopting a second child, Michael.
Colton is almost 5, and Michael is 2 1/2.
“It’s strange to tell people people that we foster or adopt because it feels like they’ve always been ours,” McKinnon said.
McKinnon said he thought for years about putting on a free summer concert. Once planning began, he wanted the event to bring attention to the work being done at Raleigh’s Place.
Admission to the event is free. It will feature inflatables, food from Chad’s Lunch Box and Durbin Farms Market, and three performances from local musicians.
Dale & Red will take the stage first, at 5:30 p.m.
One half of the act, Dale Scott, is a McKinnon employee.
At 6:30 p.m. will be another performer familiar to the dealership.
Grayson Russell has been featured on television commercials proclaiming, “You’ll be grinnin’ when you buy from McKinnon.” Now the actor has released a solo album, and his appearance at the Peach Kickoff will serve as a CD release concert.
Russell will perform numbers from his album, “Wherever I Go,” which is comprised of faith-based songs with a country and pop sound.
The album was produced by Joyce Martin Sanders and features Poison’s Will Doughty on keyboards, Kellie Pickler’s Josh Henson on guitar and Rascal Flatts’ Jim Riley on drums.
Buzz-30 will be the headlining group and take the stage at 7:30. Buzz-30 includes Brannon Burnett, another McKinnon employee.
“It’s just a fun night for people to come to the dealership,” McKinnon said.
