Slats Klug, Dave Gore, Robbie Bowden

5th Annual
Helmsburg Festival

The Brown County hamlet of Helmsburg, located northwest of Nashville and west of Bean Blossom on State Road 45, is presenting the 5th annual Helmsburg Festival on Saturday, June 12th, rain or shine, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

In 1905 the Indianapolis Southern Railroad (later the Illinois Central Railroad) laid track across northern Brown County, placing a train station in Helmsburg.

Helmsburg grew into a town with its own sawmill, flour mill, cannery, feed store, hotel, restaurants, hardware and grocery stores, storage facilities, post office, doctor’s office, church, Masonic Lodge, and undertaker supply store. Liveries competed to take passengers and freight to Nashville.

A series of fires gutted the downtown area destroying many of the town’s most prominent businesses. Soon after better roads and the automobile made train travel obsolete.

But the business community still survives with For Bare Feet sock factory, the Helmsburg Sawmill, the Helmsburg General Store, Electric Metal Fab, Inc., the Wesleyan Church, Linda Thomas Massage, Our Brown County, and the FigTree Gallery and Coffee Shop.

Many new homes have sprung up in recent years and older ones have been spruced up.

The festival is a celebration of Helmsburg’s past, present, and future. You can depend on family-oriented fun for all ages.

The fun includes another terrific line up of live music, children’s activities—including games, crafts, and a moonwalk—craft, flea market, and antique booths, a Helmsburg history display with memorabilia and photos, and delicious food. The dunk tank is coming back since it was such a big hit last year. Come soak your local notables! New this year is a trophy car show open to antique, street rod, custom, or classic vehicles.

Appearing at 2:00 will be this year’s special guests: Slats Klug, Robbie Bowden, and Dave Gore of the award winning Brown County song cycle recorded as the Liar’s Bench, My Brown County Home, and Brown County Christmas I & II CDs, and Brown County Lies and Love Songs.

Entertainment Schedule

10:00–11:00 Mike’s Smooth Country—House band for Mike’s Music and Dance Barn specializing in a country sound.

11:00–12:00 Sarah Flint and Tim Tryon—Sarah sings a wide range of music from folk to big band.

12:00–1:00 Frank Jones—Natural showman with a wide range of influences, Frank is not adverse to slipping a little Emerson Lake and Palmer into the middle of his set.

1:00–2:00 Lou Stant—Singer-songwriter whose songs tell stories about the many colorful characters he’s known.

2:00–3:00 Klug, Bowden, and Gore—Combining two of the area’s best fun-time bands, Mojo Hand and the String Bean String Band.

3:00–4:00 Pat and Christopher Webb—Pat is a folk music legend, compatriot of Phil Ochs, Odetta, John Sebastian, Yank Rachell and many others.

For information, booth space, or car show entry forms call 812-988-7447.