Apr. 17—Among the many hits turned out by rock group The Who is "The Kids Are Alright." While The Who won't be appearing at this summer's Master Musicians Festival, the sentiment in that song title will be a big part of it.

On Monday, Master Musicians Festival (MMF) announced that every 2023 high school graduate in Pulaski, Wayne and McCreary counties would receive a free weekend pass to the popular annual outdoor music festival.

That's made possible due to the generosity of three area business entities — Pulaski County graduates are sponsored by Somerset Pellet Fuel, Wayne County graduates by the Law Office of Rhonda Hatfield-Jeffers, and McCreary County graduates by McCreary County Hardwoods.

"It's something I've been wanting to do for years," said Tiffany Finley, MMF Executive Director. "We just all discussed in our (festival) board meeting how important it was to remember our mission from when (MMF) started in 1994, which was to bring musical excellence to rural Kentucky where it was otherwise not available for all ages.

"We've always let children 12 and under in free, but I feel like we're missing a big gap there (with) high school kids," she continued. "It's for graduating seniors. It's kind of a reward when they graduate, and it's ... our hope that when they come to the festival, they see the type of quality of life that you can have in our region, and they may go off and do amazing things, which I'm sure they will, but they always have a place to come back home. Every year at the festival, it's kind of a homecoming; people come home for the summer and see their family and see their friends and attend the festival."

Finley said to make such an opportunity possible, it's necessary to rely on the community. And as it turns out, members of the community were happy to help.

"Whenever I announced for Somerset-Pulaski County that I had a sponsor, one of our board members, Rhonda Hatfield-Jeffers, who grew up in Wayne County, immediately said, 'I would like to sponsor the seniors of Wayne County,'" said Finley. "That's when we all just kind of agreed that if we can do this regionally, why not? So then we actively searched for a McCreary County sponsor."

And MMF isn't necessarily limiting themselves to those three counties. Finley said that if anyone from those areas is interested in being a sponsor, "we would love to have Russell County, Rockcastle County, Casey County, Laurel County — heck, we would do Fayette County if someone was willing to step up and sponsor those kids. We would love to have them and expose them to the best musical experience from the best Kentucky (artists). This year's (MMF) is all Kentucky artists, so it's a great opportunity for them to see what our state has to offer."

For any potential sponsors who would like more information, email Finley at mastermusiciansfestival@gmail.com.

Students who attend this year's festival — scheduled for July 13-15 at Somerset Community College's Festival Field — will experience a lineup that is packed with Kentucky musicians, including headliner and country music star Wynonna Judd, Appalachian singer-songwriter Ian Noe and Kentucky hip hop group Nappy Roots, among others. In all, the three-day festival will highlight 29 acts on four stages, only two of which hail from other states.

While the festival is normally two days long, on Thursday, July 13, the Louisville Orchestra will be appearing in an already fully-booked concert at The Center for Rural Development in a revival of MMF's former "Classical Night" concept. Then Friday and Saturday will feature outdoor performances at Somerset Community College's Festival Field, as is the norm.

Each participating high school will provide MMF with a list of graduates when school ends in May. To claim their weekend pass, students simply have to bring an ID to the entrance gate on the Friday or Saturday of the festival. Passes will only be released to the student and are non-transferrable.

For Hatfield-Jeffers, who also serves on the MMF board of directors, this is an opportunity to give back to the community that raised her.

"I am very excited to sponsor tickets to the Master Musicians Festival for the Wayne County High School graduating seniors," she said. "I am a proud graduate of Wayne County High School and a proud supporter of MMF. I have had the privilege of attending MMF, volunteering at MMF and sharing this experience with my family for many years. The art, culture and music that MMF brings to the Lake Cumberland area are phenomenal. I want to share this experience with the Wayne County High School Senior class and hope that they will become lifelong attendees and supporters of the festival."

Wayne County Superintendent Wayne Roberts expressed his appreciation for Hatfield-Jeffers's sponsorship.

"Wayne County Schools is extremely grateful to Mrs. Hatfield-Jeffers for her very generous contribution," Roberts said. "What a gracious gift for our students to have this type of experience."

Somerset Pellet Fuel CEO Steve Merrick said being able to participate in the musical arts in Pulaski County is a pleasure and something he is proud to pass on to the next generation.

"I can't think of a more worthy cause than to pass this down to our high school seniors," Merrick said. "We are proud to be involved in such an event as MMF, which has become one of Somerset's premier functions."

The superintendents of Somerset Independent and Pulaski County Schools both expressed their gratitude to Merrick and Somerset Pellet Fuel for supporting local graduates.

"Providing Master Musician Festival tickets to all graduating seniors will allow them an opportunity to experience art and culture in their hometown," said Kyle Lively, Somerset Independent Schools superintendent. "Furthermore, attending the MMF will expose graduates to one of many great events happening locally. Seeing these events firsthand will hopefully instill a sense of pride in our community which is an important part of maintaining our local brain trust and workforce. We are thankful to all those involved with MMF for finding a way to offer Somerset graduates this great opportunity free of charge."

Pulaski County Schools Superintendent Patrick Richardson echoed Lively's sentiments.

"This opportunity is not only a reward but also allows the graduates of both Pulaski County and Southwestern high schools to experience the cultural riches and pride found in our great community," Richardson said.

Seniors at other non-public schools, such as Somerset Christian School, are also eligible to participate.

Vannie Hatfield, owner of McCreary County Hardwoods, found the opportunity an excellent way to give back to the community and encourage those students who have worked so hard to get to this milestone.

"McCreary County has been the home to McCreary County Hardwoods for over 50 years," Hatfield said. "We feel it is important to give back to the community and would like to say congratulations to the graduating senior class of McCreary County High School. Best of luck!"

McCreary County Interim Superintendent Larry Hammond said McCreary County Hardwoods's willingness to provide this gift for graduating seniors is greatly appreciated.

"The opportunity for the entire class to attend the festival with their friends is noteworthy. This generous gift will provide fond memories for the senior class," Hammond said. "McCreary County Hardwoods, Inc., has been a vital part of the economy in the McCreary community for approximately 50 years. This example of giving back signifies their ongoing commitment to partnering with future generations."

MMF President Julie Nelson Harris applauded Finley for the vision to introduce the festival to the region's young people in such a creative way, and the sponsors for their generous contributions that made it possible.

"Tiffany has a huge heart for southeastern Kentucky and this festival," Harris said. "It shows through her excitement and energy to have a successful festival year after year and share MMF's story with anyone who will listen. On behalf of our board of directors, I would like to thank each school system and each sponsor for making it possible for us to share our love of music with high school graduates in the Lake Cumberland region."

Master Musicians Festival contributed to this story.