On Friday Oct. 11 from 5 to 10 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 12 from 3 to 10 p.m. the Barker family hosted the eighth annual Jacob Barker Music Festival at the Amp in Jackson, Tennessee to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in West Tennessee.
The music festival featured music from local bands and solo artists. Activities like cornhole and face painting were available for children. The festival staff sold food for attendees to buy. Many performing acts came out to support Make-A-Wish and showcase their music. Artists performed both original songs and covers of popular songs from other artists.
Kelso Mojo is a band that performed music from the genres of rock, blues and country at the festival. Kelso Mojo’s lead singer, Laurie Jones, spoke about her experience at the festival. She revealed that she felt at ease this year, but last year she was more anxious about performing.
“Last year I was about to vibrate out of my skin,” Jones said. “I was mostly just excited because so many wonderful musicians play here.”
Jones said that she loves to see the community come out to support artists from West Tennessee. She felt that the crowd was very responsive, which helped contribute to a good atmosphere.
“I could see them dancing and singing along with me — it just brings our energy level up, so it was great,” Jones said.
Though the festival’s ultimate cause is to support Make-A-Wish, Jones believes that this gathering is also an opportunity to unite the community.
“Music just brings people together. It’s a healing thing,” Jones said. “It’s a time that you can just cut off the rest of the world and enjoy for at least a moment.”
For Kelso Mojo and other musicians and music listeners in Tennessee, music is a bonding experience. According to Jones, music can bring people together no matter where they are from, and she is grateful to be invited back to perform every year.
“I absolutely love being able to do this, it’s such a wonderful cause. Anytime we can help in any way we try to donate,” Jones said.
Ronnie and Melissa Barker, the parents of 12-year-old Jacob Barker, have hosted the festival yearly since their son overcame cancer in 2016. Jacob was diagnosed with retinoblastoma when he was two years old. As a result of the cancer, he had to have an eye removal which changed the trajectory of his life.
According to Ronnie, Make-A-Wish has made an amazing impact on Jacob. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish foundation, which supports the dreams of children diagnosed with chronic illnesses, Jacob was able to go to Disney World.
Now that Jacob is cancer free, the Barker family continues to raise awareness for kids with critical illnesses.
“The event to me is the pinnacle of years of hard work,” Ronnie said. “So we get to come out, have a good time, listen to good music and raise money for a good cause.”
