The Johnny Cash Festival brought in about $200,000 for the restoration of Johnny Cash’s boyhood home in Dyess, and plans for the third annual Johnny Cash music festival are already underway. The house is part of a restoration project obtained by Arkansas State University. A museum with exhibits related to Cash, historical markers, biking/hiking trails, and a theater are also part of the restoration project.
Ruth Hawkins, director of Arkansas Heritage Sites at ASU and the project director for the Johnny Cash Boyhood Hometown Restoration Project, said so far about $400,000 has been raised for the restoration of the home. “We have projected the total restoration (including furnishings) at $470,750 so we are close to finishing the house,” Hawkins said.
Rosanne Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash, welcomed the audience to the festival and said she couldn’t be more thrilled to see so many fans of her dad in the crowd to help support the restoration of his boyhood home. “This isn’t just a home that my dad grew up in,” Cash said. “But also where my aunt Joanne and Uncle Tommy grew up. It’s such an honor to be here tonight for this great cause.”
Read more at the ASU Herald.