Farm Aid Adds KC Hometown Favorite Hearts of Darkness to Concert Lineup

Farm Aid Adds KC Hometown Favorite Hearts of Darkness to Concert Lineup

Kansas City-Area Farmers, Businesses and Organizations to Bring Local Flavor to All Day Music Festival

KANSAS CITY, Kan., Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Farm Aid announced that Kansas City afro-beat, soul-funk band Hearts of Darkness will play at its all-day music and food festival this Saturday, Aug. 13. Hearts of Darkness recently performed at the Kanrocksas Music Festival this past Saturday.

As Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and the rest of the Farm Aid 2011 lineup make their way to Kansas City for Farm Aid's 26th annual benefit concert on Saturday, Aug. 13 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, Kansas City-area farmers, businesses and nonprofit organizations are pitching in to make sure this year's benefit concert is distinctive to Kansas. These local partners will help Farm Aid inform concertgoers about the work family farmers do to protect our economy, our environment and our health in the HOMEGROWN Village; bring family farm-sourced ingredients to HOMEGROWN Concessions®; and achieve recycling and composting goals.

Information about local flavor at Farm Aid 2011:

-- Farm Aid 2011 is the biggest family farm restaurant in Kansas, and it's
open for one day only! HOMEGROWN Concessions® at the Farm Aid concert
features food with local or organic, family-farm-sourced ingredients,
including family farm pork BBQ ribs, grass-fed beef brisket,
Kansas-raised beef burgers, local veggie burgers, family-farm-raised
chicken hotdogs, fresh garden salad and organic popcorn. Breads feature
organic Kansas wheat, baked by two local bakeries. HOMEGROWN
Concessions® will also highlight pork chops and pulled pork sandwiches
from Missouri-based Patchwork Family Farms. At Farm Aid's Youthmarket
Farm Stand, staffed with local youth, concertgoers can buy fresh, local
peaches, berries and granola from a small startup. Beverages include
fresh lemonade and a local company's iced coffee.
-- Farm Aid's HOMEGROWN Village will feature hands-on activities that give
concertgoers a chance to meet farmers, get their hands dirty and learn
about the ways family farmers are growing good food for us. From
composting, meat processing and corn grinding to farm trivia games like,
"Guess which country the food in your grocery store comes from" and the
"Wheel of Agriculture," concertgoers can learn more about the roots of
their food.
-- Farm Aid is partnering with Kansas City businesses in order to achieve
minimal waste goals at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. All compostable waste
at the concert will be turned into valuable agricultural material to
improve the health of soil. A sizeable volunteer effort will be on hand
to help concertgoers differentiate between landfill-bound trash,
recyclables like plastic and compostables, such as food waste and
compostable foodservice-ware.
-- Farm Aid merchandise will include T-shirts made from Texas transitional
and organic cotton, with some of the cotton farmers in attendance. A
local vendor is sewing neck coolers to keep concertgoers cool in the
sun.
-- Farm Aid is calling on all concertgoers to support the Farm Aid food
drive by bringing non-perishable food or fresh produce to the concert.
The food will be donated to Harvesters -- The Community Food Network,
which serves 26 counties in northeastern Kansas and northwestern
Missouri and helps feed 66,000 people every week. Volunteers from
Harvesters will be at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park during the concert
collecting food. Suggested donation items include fresh produce, canned
fruits and vegetables, cereal, peanut butter and hearty cold weather
meals, like stew and soup. Learn more at www.harvesters.org.
-- This year, Farm Aid is starting the festivities off early with the Farm
Aid 2011 Kick Off Party set for Friday, Aug. 12. The event will feature
local bands, including Oriole Post, family farm-sourced HOMEGROWN
concessions, a farmers market, featuring fresh produce from local farms,
and more than 20 lively exhibits from farm and food groups in the Kansas
City region. LIVESTRONG will offer information about healthy eating tips
through its local partners Cancer Action, Midwest Cancer Alliance and
the Greater Kansas City YMCA. Members of the press interested in
attending are asked to contact Maria Enie at menie@vancomm.com.

Additional Farm Aid 2011 details for concertgoers and fans at home:

-- Farm Aid 2011 will feature performances by Farm Aid president and
founder Willie Nelson and board members John Mellencamp, Neil Young and
Dave Matthews, who will perform with Tim Reynolds, as well as Jason
Mraz, Jamey Johnson, Jakob Dylan, Billy Joe Shaver, Lukas Nelson &
Promise of the Real, Ray Price, Robert Francis, Will Dailey & the
Rivals, Rebecca Pidgeon, The Blackwood Quartet, John Trudell and Hearts
of Darkness.
-- To help concertgoers combat high temperatures, there will be two misting
tents on the Sprint Plaza of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
-- The will be a designated smoking area located within an enclosed area
just outside the south gates. The smoking area is accessible to all
ticketholders regardless of seat location.
-- Fans at home can watch Farm Aid 2011 streaming live from Kansas City on
Saturday, Aug. 13 from 5-11 p.m. CDT at www.farmaid.org.
-- Willie Nelson's SIRIUS XM music channel, Willie's Roadhouse (channel
56), will broadcast Farm Aid 2011 live from LIVESTRONG Sporting Park
beginning at 2 p.m. CDT. In addition to the entire live concert,
Willie's Roadhouse listeners will hear backstage interviews and
behind-the-scenes coverage hosted by SIRIUS XM's Dallas Wayne.

For updates about Farm Aid 2011, visit www.farmaid.org and join the conversation at www.facebook.com/farmaid and www.twitter.com/farmaid.

About Farm Aid

Farm Aid's mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to raise funds to support Farm Aid's work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family-farmed food. Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $39 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

About LIVESTRONG Sporting Park

LIVESTRONG Sporting Park is revolutionizing the way people engage in the fight against cancer by harnessing the passion and commitment of fans through the community of sports and entertainment. Located in Kansas City, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park is the first philanthropic stadium in the world. Sporting Club and the sport of soccer provide LIVESTRONG a great opportunity to spread health and wellness messages that underscore the spirit of cancer survivorship.

**Editors and Producers Note: Advance credentials are required for all media to attend Farm Aid 2011. Please contact Scott Rieder at srieder@vancomm.com to apply.**

SOURCE Farm Aid

Farm Aid

CONTACT: Maria Enie, +1-724-816-3368, menie@vancomm.com

Web Site: http://www.farmaid.org

-------
Profile: intent