The Heart of Lea County Fest is coming to downtown Lovington. This one-day music festival will feature country singer Aaron Watson and many fun activities for the whole family. The goal is to raise money for Weekend Hunger Initiative (WHI) Hobbs, a non-profit delivering food to Hobbs students over the weekends in food insecure households.
The festival will take place on Saturday October 23 with activities kicking off around noon and lasting into the night.
Texas-born musician Aaron Watson will be headlining the event with a free live performance at 9:00 pm. Other activities throughout the day will include a car show, cornhole tournament, holiday costume contest and miniature golf course. More activities will be announced.
The Lovington Chamber of Commerce and Lovington MainStreet will be co-hosting the event with support from the JF Maddox Foundation.
“We’re excited to partner to help support efforts in not only combating hunger but bringing in Aaron Watson and a quality family friendly event that brings all of Lea County together,” Leslie Boldt said in a press release for the event. Boldt is currently serving in an advisory capacity with the Lovington Chamber after leaving its executive director role for a position within the New Mexico Junior College’s Small Business Development Center.
Admission to the festival is free which will take place in downtown Lovington on Central Avenue, east of Main Street. There will also be street vendors in the area. Money raised during Heart of the Lea County Fest will be put toward local initiatives working to end hunger throughout Lea County.
While hunger is often thought of as a third-world problem, the reality is many millions of people struggle with hunger in the United States. Families with children are most likely to experience food insecurity. According to Feeding America, one in five children in New Mexico face hunger. Many families dealing with hunger are not able to qualify for federal nutrition assistance and will therefore rely on local food banks and non-profits for support.
The festival is the brainchild of Leslie Pfalzgraf of WHI Hobbs who worked to bring together these local organizations to host a day of fun for the community while raising money to fight hunger. WHI Hobbs provides over 750 bags of food weekly to local families. People wishing to volunteer their time or donate can call WHI Hobbs at (575) 441-2732.
People can also help by attending the Heart of Lea County Fest and sharing the upcoming event on social media. The better the turnout, the more money likely to be raised. Attendees are sure to have a fun time while benefiting the community.
“The Heart of Lea County Fest will have something for everyone,” said Mara Salcido, the executive director of Lovington MainStreet. “It’s amazing to see what can happen when you collaborate with unexpected entities. We’re already having so much fun planning, I can’t wait till October.”
