Hemphill family featured at Friday concert

The Hemphill Family and Friends Band will be the featured performers for a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Fort Scott Community College cafeteria, 2108 S. Horton.

The band has performed music throughout the four-state area for many years. This Friday's performance will feature some of the band's favorite music including fiddle tunes, western swing, and country music. The band will play some gospel music and maybe a few pieces of music from the 1950s.

Jack Hemphill will play keyboards and Sandy Hemphill, who teaches music at Eugene Ware, will play fiddle and saxophone. The drummer is Jack and Sandy's daughter, Kristen Weeks. Their son, Brad Hemphill, will play bass guitar. John Akers, from Joplin, Mo., will play lead guitar.

Event organizer Ralph Carlson said the Hemphills are an area favorite and "we are looking forward to their special concert." Seating is limited, so those attending are encouraged to arrive early and have a lawn chair handy in the event the number of available seats is exceeded.

Carlson said Friday will be the last night the FSCC cafeteria is used for the concerts as classes will start soon and it will be in use. The cafeteria has hosted the concerts in recent weeks due to the extreme heat.

"We appreciate the staff of FSCC for the use of the facility during this extremely hot period of time," he said.

The show is part of the Friday Night Concert Series, sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Downtown Division and is free and open to the public. The concerts normally take place at the Heritage Park Pavilion at the corner of First and Main streets.