Central City unveils Festival Square

Representatives from the city of Central City, Muhlenberg County, Farmers Bank & Trust and the Everly Brothers Foundation came together with the Muhlenberg County community, along with friends and family of the Everly Brothers and John Prime, to dedicate Festival Square, located on the corner of First and Broad Streets in downtown Central City, on what was a hot and humid Friday afternoon.

Festival Square houses commemorative statues of music legends the Everly Brothers, nicknamed the “Sons of Central City” by locals, and John Prine, who held roots in Muhlenberg County.

“Thank you to everyone who has come out to celebrate this occasion with us,” said Mike Mercer the chairman of the Everly Brothers Foundation. “It’s been a long time coming and we’re thrilled to finally see the ending.”

Mercer explained that this project has been a “labor of love” that began in 2019.

The Everly Brothers Foundation wished to do something to commemorate the impact that the Everly Brothers and Prine had on the Central City community, so the foundation began working on the project.

“But then Covid happened and brainstorming stalled. Then we suffered a loss of one of the committee members and tornados ripped through the area, so we didn’t think it was an appropriate time to fundraise for the project,” Mercer explained. “But we persevered and, with the help of Farmers Bank & Trust who donated the space, along with the city of Central City, the Muhlenberg County Fiscal Court and generous donations from our community and across the country, we’ve been able to bring Festival Square to today.”

Mercer said that more than 105 individuals and organizations contributed donations to help fund the project.

The Everly Brothers began making music in the late 1950s after graduating high school in the Nashville, Tennessee area, but the brothers, who recorded hits such as “Wake Up Little Susie” and “When Will I Be Loved”, always remembered their Muhlenberg County roots.

That sentiment was evident in 1987 when the Central City Police Department placed a call out to folks in the media to discuss its need for new radios for the department.

And the Everly Brothers answered the call by purchasing the radios for the police department.

Following the purchase, the Everly Brothers decided to headline, along with John Prine, a singer-songwriter of country-folk music who also had ties to the community, the Everly Brothers Homecoming Festival, also known as the Central City Music Festival.

The festival successfully ran from 1988 to 2002, drawing performances from many country music standouts such as Keith Urban, Trace Adkins, Travis Tritt, Tammy Wynette, The Kentucky Headhunters, Lonestar and Billy Ray Cyrus among others.

“I like to say that we jump-started Keith Urban’s career,” Mercer joked.

Mercer also told the crowd that in 1990 the Kentucky Headhunters, famous for the tune “Dumas Walker,” brought more than 20,000 spectators to Central City for the festival.

“It was entertainment at its best,” Mercer reminisced.

Mike Mangeot, commissioner of Kentucky Tourism, told the crowd that tourism in Kentucky is at an all-time high and that he’s “proud to add Festival Square” to the list of tourism attractions in Kentucky.

“It’s clear to see the pride that the people of this community hold in the Homecoming Festival,” he said.

Dr. Freddie Mayes, the executive director of the Central City Tourism Commission, said that Festival Square is a “new chapter for Central City” and not the end of the road.

“Festival Square is just the beginning of drawing more tourism to Central City and Muhlenberg County,” Mayes said.

Kentucky’s poet laureate Silas House recited two poems named “The Everly Brothers” and “John Prine” for the audience to celebrate the dedication.

Representatives from the Everly and Prine families also took to the mic to express their gratitude for being honored by the project.

“My dad would be honored for the recognition though I think he would have enjoyed being pictured in his garage next to his Cadillac,” said Prine’s middle son, Jack, who is also a musician.

David Everly, the son of Rev. Ted Everly, a cousin of Don and Phil Everly, emphasized how much the commemorative statues mean for the Everly family and the future residents of Central City.

“Those statues will be here forever,” Everly said. “My grandchildren and great-grandchildren will see these statues and understand how much John Prine and the Everly Brothers mean to the community.”