The sounds of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ will be heard Saturday along Highway 280 just outside of Sylacauga.
The free concert would not be free if it featured the real Lynyrd Skynyrd band. They charge a pretty penny and earn every penny.
Instead, you will hear the top-rated Skynryd tribute band “Symple Man Revival,” and for free. The group is named for the early Skynryd hit, Simple Man (1973).
It’s the annual Oak Grove Fall Festival. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oak Grove Town Hall, 1042 Glen Road, Sylacauga. Saturday, October 11.
It’s a centrally-located, easy-to-get-to venue. 42 miles from Birmingham on 280 E, 55 miles from Montgomery on 231 N. Close to Alex City, Anniston, Gadsden, Clanton, Talladega, Shelby County, Coosa County, and Socapatoy.
In addition to the music of Symple Man, you can enjoy bouncies, train rides, arts and crafts, a car show, and food vendors. All are free except the food vendors.
Additional music acts include Sons of Thunder, Crossfire, and Cherry Avenue. All free.
No ticket or RSVP is needed. Just show up.
Don’t get mixed up and drive to the wrong Oak Grove. The name “Oak Grove” is one of the most popular names in Alabama, with towns, communities, and churches named Oak Grove. This Oak Grove is the one next to Sylacauga on Highway 280.
Oak Grove is famous – you just may not know it yet. It is the only place in the world where a person was hit by a meteor (1954). She lived to tell it. It’s home to Gravity Hill, where your car either coasts uphill or appears to coast uphill – you decide. That’s free. Come on and try it.
Symple Man, the feature attraction, is expected to crank up in the noon hour. Will we hear the litany of Skynyrd hits?
Free Bird
Gimme Three Steps
Simple Man
Sweet Home Sylacauga
Others you will remember as soon as the music starts.
Editor’s note: The author, Jim Zeigler, was born and raised in Oak Grove. His father, Bloise Zeigler, was the long-serving Mayor of Oak Grove.
Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at [email protected]
