Country stars Eric Church, Elle King and Lyle Lovett to honor Willie Nelson at gala in May

On May 12th, country music stars Eric Church, Sam Hunt, Elle King, and Lyle Lovett will perform tributes at a gala event honoring Willie Nelson at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library on the University of Texas campus.

Willie, who will celebrate his 90th birthday at a star-studded Hollywood bash this weekend, will be on hand to receive the prestigious Liberty and Justice for All Award at the event.

More: Willie Nelson lands prestigious award that the LBJ Foundation has given to presidents, too

Tables and tickets for the event range from $1,000 for a single ticket to $100,000 for two prominently placed tables for 10. They are on sale now at lbjaward.org.

Why is the LBJ School celebrating Willie?

Proceeds from the gala will fund the LBJ School's new Willie Nelson Endowment for Uplifting Rural Communities. It "will fund research and student fellowships focused on sustainable agriculture, eliminating hunger, resilient energy, sustainable water and natural disaster recovery to benefit rural and farm communities," according to a news release from the LBJ School.

More: Willie's country: 'The patron saint of Austin' reshaped a genre and the Texas capital

The award and the endowment both celebrate the country music legend's longstanding commitment to family farmers. Nelson co-founded Farm Aid in 1985. Through the years, the concert series and advocacy group has raised $70 million to promote "a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture," according to the Farm Aid website.

Tickets for Willie's Fourth of July Picnic go on sale Friday

In the likely event that you can't afford a $1,000 ticket at the gala, there are more ways to celebrate Willie.

The Willie at 90 television special won't be out for a while, but you can catch our live coverage from the red carpet on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. CST at statesman.com.

Prefer a more homegrown tribute? The Bruce Robison-produced album "One Night In Texas: The Next Waltz's Tribute to The Red Headed Stranger" features covers of Willie Nelson songs from Margo Price, Steve Earle, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Shinyribs and more. The album was recorded live at Willie's 89th birthday celebration at Luck Ranch.

This summer, Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic will return to Q2 Stadium in North Austin for the 50th anniversary of the holiday jam. Artists playing this year's event include Willie Nelson & Family, Tyler Childers, Dwight Yoakam, Shakey Graves, Shane Smith & the Saints, Sierra Ferrell, Asleep at the Wheel, and Particle Kid.

Tickets, $49 to $179, go on sale at 10 a.m. April 28 via q2stadium.com or seatgeek.com.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Willie Nelson to honored at gala, Fourth of July Picnic in Austin