HOPE IN THE HILLS’ “HEALING APPALACHIA” BENEFIT CONCERT RETURNS SEPTEMBER 21-23   

August 10, 2023—Hope in the Hills’ “Healing Appalachia” benefit concert will return to Lewisburg’s State Fairgrounds of West Virginia September 21-23 with performances by Tyler Childers, Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Umphrey’s McGee, Gov’t Mule, Marcus King, Amythyst Kiah, 49 Winchester, Arlo McKinley, Tommy Prine, Katie Pruitt, Tre Burt, Kelsey Waldon and Charles Wesley Godwin among many others.

Much more than a music festival, the three-day event builds community as people from across the world gather to celebrate recovery and raise awareness for the opioid crisis. In addition to the performances, the weekend will feature speeches from those affected by addiction as well as 41 organizations providing support and information to attendees, including a free Naloxone [a narcotic overdose treatment] training from the Drug Intervention Institute, Inc., Murphy Innovative Strategies and Concept, and ONEbox. Last year’s course is believed to be the world’s largest one-time Naloxone training, which had over 11,000 attendees learning how to administer the drug.

Since their first “Healing Appalachia” fundraiser in 2018, Hope in the Hills has raised nearly $400,000 for recovery organizations in the region, helping to reduce the stigma of addiction.  Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit numerous organizations across Appalachia including recovery houses, recovery-to-work initiatives and camps for kids in trauma.

Tickets for the 2023 event are on-sale now as well as passes for RV camping. There will be a designated family camp area, as well as Camp Grindstone, a separate camp for attendees in recovery. Full details can be found at: www.healingappalachia.org.

Of the fundraiser, Hope in the Hills board president Dave Lavender shares, “West Virginia still has the highest rate of fatal overdoses in the nation, but the number of overdoses in-state did go down in 2022. As daunting as the opioid crisis is, hope is actually building here in West Virginia and across Appalachia. Robust and resilient communities of healing are forming over this open wound. We want ‘Healing Appalachia’ to be a place to celebrate and foster that hope of recovery and wellness. We can’t wait to gather in person again to share the magic of live music, to celebrate recovery and give folks a space and time to make connections and create new, healthy, joy-filled memories.”

The 2023 edition of “Healing Appalachia” will be the largest yet with nearly double the number of performers and 11 more organizations on-site than last year’s two-day event, which brought over 16,600 music lovers to West Virginia from 38 states and three additional countries—Australia, Canada and England. Watch a recap of last year’s event HERE.

Hope in the Hills is run by an all-volunteer board made up of Tyler Childers’ manager, Ian Thornton, festival producer Charlie Hatcher, board President, Dave Lavender, Tracey Levine, Quincy McMichael, Thom Boggs and Keebie Gilkerson. In addition to “Healing Appalachia,” the non-profit supports many other events and programs throughout the year including their “Music Is Healing” music therapy program in Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, as well as outreach at festivals such as Mountain Grrl Experience and Holler Girl in Eastern Kentucky, thanks to donations from S.G. Goodman, Bitter Southerner, Blenko Glass and the Arthur and Joan Weisberg Family Foundation.

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