Rock the South broke an attendance record with 60,000 people packing into Heritage Park over two days.

In addition to the large attendance, Rock the South provided $100,000 to community organizations that serve the Cullman area.

“To be able to give away $100,000 and see so many people come to Cullman and enjoy music is humbling,” Rock the South founder Shane Quick said. “We love doing this at Heritage Park and working with the city. It’s the perfect place. So many young people and young families are discovering Cullman because of this show and our partnerships.”

This year’s event didn’t pass by without a challenge. A thunderstorm caused the crowd to evacuate in the early evening. But by 8 p.m., the gates were re-opened and a the park was once again packed with people ready to pick up again with the music.

“We work with a meteorologist in Huntsville to make sure we do the right thing,” Quick said. “Once we got the word there would be lightening we started clearing everyone from the park. It’s something you have to anticipate. We don’t anyone to be hurt because of weather conditions. Safety is always the first concern.”

After a downpour of rain and thousands of people returning to the park, the turf was torn up. Quick said a turf specialist who works with Southeastern Conference football teams was in Cullman Monday to help with getting the grounds back into shape for summer activities.

“It will be ready for soccer and other events,” Quick said. “I really want to thank the parks and recreation staff, the emergency responders and everyone who works so hard to make Rock the South successful. Our focus is to make sure we make improvements to the facilities and to always be able to prepare for any situation. I feel we’re always in a positive conversation among everyone who helps bring the show together. We learn a lot each year and that allows us to continually improve what we do.”

Quick, a native of Cullman County who promotes Rock the South through Premier Productions, said being able to bring top and emerging artists to Cullman is the realization of a dream. The shows in the past have brought iconic performers such as Hank Williams Jr., Charlies Daniels, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Travis Tritt and Gregg Allman, who died last week, to Cullman.

“We will be talking about artists like Gregg Allman many years from now. That we had him here in Cullman performing is incredible with all he has meant to music,” Quick said. “You want people to come to your community. You have to have an identity and tell others who you are and what you have. You’ve got to have a Busy Bee, a Werner’s, a Berkeley Bob’s and a Karma’s and other places that you can show and tell people about. A music festival is one of those things that works like those institutions to create an identity that people want to experience.”

Quick said work is already underway for next year’s concert lineup.

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