Aiken will be the scene of an exciting new outdoor festival and evening indoor dinner event on Saturday, June 25 when the First Annual Homegrown Festival and Southern Soiree makes its debut at the Big Red Barn on Chime Bell Church Road. Tickets are on sale now.

The Homegrown Festival kicks off the two-part event at 11 a.m.  Food, bands, local breweries, lawn games and inflatables will fill the grounds of the Big Red Barn until 4 p.m. The six-piece band, The Whiskey Gentry, will perform as the festival’s headliner. The band, known throughout the Southeast for its high energy live performances, has been described by Paste Magazine as a “toe-tapping, steamrolling kind of band, its fingers picking deep into fields of bluegrass, feet stomping in line with a punk-inspired kick drum.”

The Southern Soiree, an evening of dinner and dance with an upscale Southern flair, will be held from 7 – 11 p.m. Farm-to-table cuisine will be served by Chef Megan Alig of Creative Cuisine followed by kick-up-your heels music by The Jim Fisher Band.  Tickets for this event are limited.

“The Homegrown Festival and Southern Soiree was created to spark a sense of community among our attendees while supporting the efforts of the Cumbee Center.” said Susan Selden, executive director of the Cumbee Center.
 
Tickets for the Festival can be purchased online through cumbeecenter.org or at the Cumbee Center office located at 135 Lancaster Street or at the gate the day of the Festival. Southern Soiree dinner tickets can be purchased at the Cumbee Center office.  The cost is $10 per person for the Homegrown Festival (5 & under free) and $75 per person for the Southern Soiree. All proceeds benefit the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons.