Photo by Andrew Sherman.
The sixth annual Cornbread & Country music and BBQ festival will be held at Longhorn Ballroom next month, catered and headlined by a couple with ties to Oak Cliff and Dallas First Responders.
The event will take place Jan. 13 with tickets starting at $35 general admission to the show to $75 tickets that include dinner, meet and greet, admission to the show and a swag bag.
Musician Elaina Kay is the founder and producer of the festival. Her husband, Derek Gage, will man the BBQ pit. Gage is a firefighter at Station 25 near Paul Quinn College.
Texas artists Summer Dean, Dallas Burrow and Darby Sparkman will perform, and Nashville’s Gabe Lee will headline the event. A portion of the proceeds for the event will be given to Box 4, a nonprofit supporting Dallas First Responders.
“My husband is a fireman, so I hear about the things they go through—they see the worst of the worst every day,” Kay said in a statement. “As a result, they experience mental health issues that people may not realize—so I wanted to do something to take care of the people who take care of us.”
Cornbread & Country started in East Dallas in 2019 as a way for Kay to raise money for touring costs. Gage’s catering company Smoke Showin’ BBQ took over the event’s catering in 2021.
“Once I toured the Longhorn Ballroom and saw the history throughout, I knew it was the perfect fit for (Cornbread & Country) 2024,” Kay said. “Bring on the 6th annual Cornbread & Country!”
