Sometimes in life we get struck – by a new thought, a new idea, or even a new direction. Something hits us and it becomes instantly embedded in our brain, heart, or soul. Once that happens, no matter what we do, we are unable to get it out of our heads. From that point on it lingers and lingers until it’s ready to be used or acted upon.
That very thing happened to Paul Hendricks many years ago. He was walking through Downtown Belmont when he wandered into the home that currently houses the Belmont Historical Society. That’s when he would become struck by a simple book title – “Between Two Rivers: The Centennial of Belmont, NC” by Ross Yockey.
It was at this moment that he thought to himself, “Hey, that would be a great name for a music festival!”. The only problem at the time is that Hendricks was not in the music business. Far from it, actually. He was in the insurance business. But as of a couple of years ago, you can now officially say Hendricks is in the music business. That is when he met Brian Deal, and they began to connect through their love of music. The ball started to roll from there.
In 2011, both Deal and Hendricks hooked up with Chad Hutcheson from the String Bean Cafe & Deli in Belmont, and they began to collaborate and organize a music festival that would just so happen to take place in between two rivers (The Catawba & the South Fork) in a little place called Downtown Belmont. And just like that, a music festival was born.
Last year, the inaugural Between 2 Rivers Music Festival was held in August. And despite the summer heat and humidity, the event was a huge success. Over 1,500 attended in the first year. All proceeds from the gate went to support two charitable organizations – Gaston Hospice and the Wounded Warriors Project. Each organization received a check in the amount of $3,500.
Hendricks and Deal are back at it again with the second annual Between 2 Rivers Music Festival. And this time, they are going to hold it in October to take advantage of our area’s perfect weather.
The lineup of performers will be similar as last year with six bands performing on two stages from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The sounds of Texas and the Carolina’s will take center stage again this year with the band, No Justice, closing out the festival on the Main Stage that day.
Like last year, both Hendricks and Deal felt it was important to continue to work with and support the Wounded Warriors Project and Gaston Hospice again as their charities of choice.
With one year under their collective musical belts, they hope to blow last year’s numbers out of the water. The more people they can bring into Downtown Belmont that day, the more money they can raise.
