Ready to pop: Collin Raye, Black Stone Cherry headline 42nd Marion Popcorn Festival

The Marion Popcorn Festival features a strong lineup of national and regional acts for its 42nd year of operation. The festival is scheduled for Sept. 7-9 on the streets of downtown Marion.

Country music veteran Collin Raye and southern rockers Black Stone Cherry are the main stage headliners for the festival this year. Raye will perform at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 8. Black Stone Cherry is set to close out the festival at 8:30 p.m. Sept. 9.

Raye is one of the "true hit-makers" of 1990s country music with 25 top ten records and 16 No. 1 hits. He is a 10-time male vocalist of the year nominee (5 CMA and 5 ACM) and remains one of the great voices in country music.

Marion County's own Knight After Knight will be the opening act for Raye, taking the main stage at 6 p.m. on Sept. 8. Knight After Knight opened for Parmalee during the 2022 Popcorn Festival.

Band lead singer Tamela Knight told the Star that about halfway through the group's performance, they will pay tribute to local residents who have passed away in the last year. She said they are collecting photographs of deceased loved ones and display have a slideshow while she sings and plays a song to honor their memories.

"I have reached out to numerous families here in Marion for their permission to have a picture of their loved ones," Knight said. "Everyone is so supportive and grateful for this opportunity as we have had a great deal of loss here in our community especially in the last year alone."

Black Stone Cherry performs

Formed in 2001 in Edmonton, Kentucky, Black Stone Cherry has recorded seven studio albums as well as two EPs. Their newest work "Screamin’ At The Sky" is scheduled to drop in September and is available now for pre-order.

Their first releases from those sessions are trademark rockers, “Out Of Pocket” in January, and the current song “Nervous,” joining BSC staples “White Trash Millionaire,” “Blame It on the Boom Boom,” “In My Blood,” “Again,” “Me and Mary Jane,” “Cheaper To Drink Alone,” “Blind Man,” and “Ringin’ In My Head.”

Lifelong friends Chris Robertson, vocals/guitar; Ben Wells, guitar/vocals; and John Fred Young, drums; welcome new bass player Steve Jewell on his first studio recordings, having played with them since 2021. They perform at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 9 at the Popcorn Festival.

The Marion Popcorn Festival kicks off on Thursday evening with entertainment provided by Cleveland-based dance and hip hop group Old Skool. They're scheduled to perform at 8:30 p.m. on the main stage. Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band Almost Chili Peppers will be the opening act at 6:30 p.m.

Admission to all main stage shows is free. All shows will be held in the City of Marion parking lot at the intersection of Church and Prospect streets.

Popcorn Parade set for Sept. 7

The Marion Popcorn Festival Parade steps off at 6 p.m. on Sept. 7 in downtown Marion.

Parade units will line up on Forest Lawn Boulevard. The parade will start on East Center Street at Uhler Avenue and head west on Center to State Street. It will then turn left on State and then left on Church Street in front of Heritage Hall and the Wyandot Popcorn Museum. The parade will disband at the junction of Church Street, Mount Vernon Avenue, and Vine Street.

Enjoy the midway

Tickets for rides on the midway at the Marion Popcorn Festival must be purchased during the festival. Individual ride tickets cost $1.25 each. Twenty tickets are available for $20. Forty tickets are available for $40. Rides require between three and six tickets each.

Wrist bands are available for $25. They must be purchased daily and are only good for the day on which they're purchased.

The midway opens at 3 p.m. Thursday; 1 p.m. Friday; and 1 p.m. Saturday. Rides are open until the close of the festival each night.

Email: ecarter@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Collin Raye, Black Stone Cherry headline 42nd Marion Popcorn Festival