by Jessica Pradarits
If you’ve ever borrowed a cup of sugar from a neighbor, it must have been from someone like Craig Morgan; he is one of the nicest guys in country music today. To compound this niceness factor, he spent an entire weekend donating his time to host charity events for Billy’s Place, a home for temporarily displaced children in Dickson, Tennessee.
Craig Morgan and family with "Billy's Place" sign
Friday evening, Craig kicked off the weekend by opening the doors to the Greystone Golf Club for a sponsor dinner. Friends, family and neighbors gathered for good food and drinks to celebrate the progress made towards making Billy’s Place a physical reality. He mingled with his guests, overcome with gratitude for all that they had contributed to this worthy cause.
At the podium, Morgan started the night by presenting a unique piece of metal artwork, created and donated by his friends, Chappy and Melissa. The artwork was fashioned after an old photo of the father of Craig Morgan’s wife, Karen, holding Craig and Karen’s young daughter’s hand. Below the image of grandfather and granddaughter, “Billy’s Place” was written at the bottom. Billy was Karen’s father’s name. The Morgan family took a moment to pose for pictures in front of the artwork with tears in their eyes, overwhelmed by the new symbol of their cause.
The main event of the night was the presentation of special plaques to the 23 sponsors attending the dinner. Choked up with emotion at the microphone, Craig awarded the plaques and shared personal stories and memories as well as many, many thank you’s to the helping hands behind this charity.
Click above to view photos from the ride
Saturday morning, hundreds of participants came out to Vanleer, Tennessee for the 5th annual motorcycle ride and motocross exhibition. There was plenty of dirt, and after a morning downpour, a healthy dose of mud to go around. Everyone huddled under tents and umbrellas, joking that “rain is a good thing” and trying to stay dry.
Once the storm moved out, Morgan introduced his friends from country music, Bucky Covington and Sarah Darling, as well as the Pro Motocross riders that came out to support Billy’s Place – Kevin Windham, Fred Andrews, Robbie King, Randy Hawkins and Cowboy Kenny Bartram. All revved up their bikes and they, along with Craig, jumped ramps and showed off their moves to the crowd who had arranged seating by parking whatever motorized vehicle they had brought to watch.
After the show, the riders took to the trails and had a blast getting mud splattered, smothered, and covered. Bucky Covington made a joke that over the 5 years he’s been working with charities, “this one hurts the worst,” referring to the hill climb that saw many riders getting dumped from their bikes. The riders returned for lunch, worn out from the trail and climb, and ate a delicious meal of barbecue sandwiches, beans and coleslaw catered by Whitt’s Barbecue.
Click above to view photos from the trap shoot
The Clay Shoot on Sunday at the Tennessee Clay Target Complex in Nashville was a new addition to the Benefit this year. Craig explained that at first he had his doubts about how much interest it would attract. However, even though it was the most expensive event of the weekend, it was the first event to sell out. And it sold out fast.
The owner of the complex took time to explain the safety rules and ensure that all of the participants were equipped with eye and ear protection before they took to their carts and cars and trucks to head down to the shooting range.
Participating in the shoot were Country artists and Pro Motocross riders and sports professionals including those previously mentioned, along with former Dallas Cowboy and Hunter’s Dream For A Cure founder Robb Nelson, pro sportsman Jimmy Sites, Chris “The Kia Guy” Bostick and many more. Each team had a celebrity participant. Teams and individuals competed for one of many prizes. During a catered lunch, another delicious meal provided by Whitt’s Barbecue, the prizes were handed out, including a brand new shotgun awarded to Greg Jackson, the top scoring individual.
There was just enough time after the clay shoot to get cleaned up before heading out to Dickson Middle School for Craig Morgan’s in-the-round concert.
Click above to view photos from the concert
At the start of the concert, Robb Nelson joined Craig on stage to share his personal story of why Billy’s Place holds such a special place in his heart. When he was born, he said, he headed straight into foster care where he bounced from home to home before finally finding his “forever home”. Robb explained that because he knew the profound effect it would have on children’s lives, he would do anything in his power to assist with Craig’s charity. The Nelson family presented Craig Morgan with a check for $10, 000 to benefit Billy’s Place.
Before the show, Morgan met with WDKN contest winners and several child advocacy representatives backstage while a silent auction was held in the lobby to raise money for the charity. Craig presented the Dickson County Foster Care Association with a $5,000 check to buy Christmas presents for the kids. During the concert, items were auctioned off for charity including a motocross bike donated by Chris Bostick, as well as the chance to give Craig Morgan a haircut. The winner of the haircut auction was Robb Nelson, who thoroughly enjoyed every moment giving Craig a “high and tight” cut on stage.
Craig Morgan was joined on stage by American Idol winner Bucky Covington, the gorgeous Sarah Darling, and the legendary Pam Tillis. Bucky announced that after being absent from the music scene, he finally signed with a new label and has a new song coming out called “Want to Be That Feeling”. Sarah Darling has had a great year, with her music video hitting #1 on CMT, being invited to play at the Grand Ole Opry, and releasing her new album. Pam Tillis took the stage to enthusiastic applause before she sang a single note. She played “Shake the Sugar Tree” and “My Kind of Medicine”. After Pam played a new song, Craig wanted to play a new one as well. He performed “This Ole Boy”, along with several of his hits, like “This Ain’t Nothing” and “Redneck Yacht Club”.
Towards the end of the final evening of his charity weekend, Craig shared his thoughts on his career: “The one thing that I wanted to do in this business is sing. That’s what I do, but that’s not all I am.” He is not only an amazing country singer and a very genuine person, he’s working towards the betterment of his community. His 5th annual charity event was a huge success, raising significant funds for Billy’s Place.
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