Column: Shorelines

Photos courtesy of Kim Barton

In four years, Rooster Walk has grown from a one-day event with 13 bands to a festival spanning three days with 30 bands.

In four years, Rooster Walk has grown from a one-day event with 13 bands to a festival spanning three days with 30 bands.

Edwin "the Rooster" Penn and Walker Shank loved music. When they unexpectedly passed away within 18 months of each other, in the prime of their lives, the friends they left behind decided to put on a music festival in their memories and do something good with the proceeds.

Enter Rooster Walk, a memorial music festival that will be held May 25-27 near the Franklin/Henry County line. The festival will feature 30 bands on two stages in a scenic venue just off Snow Creek Road. Money from the festival goes into the coffers of the Penn-Shank Memorial Scholarship Fund, which awards a scholarship to a deserving senior at Martinsville High School.

When organizers Johnny Buck and William Baptist put the festival together four years ago, it was a one-day event with 13 local bands.

"We actually did really well and had a big turnout," said Buck. "Our budget was tiny the first year but people donated. If the first one hadn't done well, there'd never have been a Rooster Walk 2."

Shank and Penn were childhood friends. Penn died in 2007 in a dirt bike accident when he was 25. Shank, a mortgage banker living in New York City, had "undiagnosed heart problems," said Buck. Shank died in December 2008, about 18 months after Penn.

"That was a huge blow," said Buck. "It was two really close friends. We'd all stayed really close even after high school and college."

Buck and Baptist decided to put on Rooster Walk in February 2009 and scheduled the first event for Memorial Day weekend that year.

Fast-forward to 2012. The festival has grown to three days - Friday through Sunday. A variety of different bands have been added to this year's line-up including Nashville stars Josh Shilling, lead singer for the popular group Mountain Heart, and Clinton Gregory, a guitarist and fiddle player who's performed on Neil Young's Heart of Gold documentary.

Shilling is a Bassett native and most likely will be bringing members of his band with him to play.

"This is kind of a homecoming thing for him," said Buck.

Pimps of Joytown, Sanctum Sully (festival hosts), Space Capone, Kings of Belmont and Barefoot West are several others scheduled to play during the Memorial Day weekend festival.

"People who come really, really have a good time," said Buck. "We have a high rate of return."

Tickets for Friday through Sunday performances are $50 in advance for general admission or $135 for VIP passes, which include a variety of special perks. Sunday's single ticket admission price is $10. For an extra $20, general admission ticket holders can camp at the venue through the weekend. Campers up to 20 feet are welcome.

The Lt. Dan Band kicks off the festival at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 24. Other performances are scheduled beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 25, and again at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27.

For the Thursday's performance by the Lt. Dan Band, VIP passes are accepted or single tickets can be purchased for $25 apiece through Piedmont Arts' website at https://www.piedmontarts.org/secure/tickets.cfm. All other tickets can be purchased through Rooster Walk's website, www.roosterwalk.com or at select businesses in Martinsville.

Buck said that Sunday's events also include a 5K trail race called the Tuff Strutter, in conjunction with the Martinsville-Henry County Family YMCA.

In addition to the music festival, there's the Walker Shank Memorial Golf Tournament, which was held last weekend at Forest Park Country Club in Martinsville. Proceeds from the tournament also benefit the Penn-Shank Memorial Scholarship at Martinsville High School.

For more information, visit www.roosterwalk.com or the Rooster Walk page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/roosterwalk or Twitter at www.twitter.com. Those interested in volunteering should email roosterwalkvolunteer@gmail.com.