The Natural Disasters will kick off the 11th annual Friends in Great Places concert at
7 p.m., Saturday, March 2, at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville (UACCB) in Independence Hall. Also featured this year is dancer and singer, Alex Prince.
The Natural Disasters are a multi-genre duo from north central Arkansas composed of John T. Parks and Sarah Jo Sample. Parks, of Batesville, and Sample, of Melbourne, began their musical adventure together in 1996 when Sample hired Parks as the bass player in her band, Double Shot. The two joined forces again in 2013 to form the Natural Disasters. They both are also members of The Lockhouse Orchestra, a local cover band featuring Danny Dozier, Pam Setser, Tim Crouch, Gary Rounds, Brad Apple, Kenny Loggains, Samuel Cobb and Irl Hess.
The concert will be held at Independence Hall and promises “two hours of entertainment,” according to a press release. Setser will provide vocals, mountain dulcimer, and spoons. Crouch will play the fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. Rounds will be featured on vocals and guitar; Dozier on vocals and guitar; Apple on vocals, guitar and mandolin; Loggains on percussion; Cobb on the mandolin; and Hess on vocals and bass.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or ahead of time at First Community Bank and UACCB.
The Friends in Great Places concert is a fundraiser for Kids’ College, a summer educational program held annually at UACCB for students in first through sixth grades. Partial scholarships are provided to students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. Kids’ College has proven to be a great asset to the community serving the youth in Independence and surrounding counties for more than 20 years. The event is sponsored by First Community Bank as part of the 2018-2019 Performing Arts Series.
