Farm Aid Adds KC Hometown Favorite Hearts of Darkness to Concert Lineup

Kansas City-Area Farmers, Businesses and Organizations to Bring Local Flavor to All Day Music Festival

KANSAS CITY, Kan., Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Farm Aid announced that Kansas City afro-beat, soul-funk band Hearts of Darkness will play at its all-day music and food festival this Saturday, Aug. 13. Hearts of Darkness recently performed at the Kanrocksas Music Festival this past Saturday.

As Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and the rest of the Farm Aid 2011 lineup make their way to Kansas City for Farm Aid's 26th annual benefit concert on Saturday, Aug. 13 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, Kansas City-area farmers, businesses and nonprofit organizations are pitching in to make sure this year's benefit concert is distinctive to Kansas. These local partners will help Farm Aid inform concertgoers about the work family farmers do to protect our economy, our environment and our health in the HOMEGROWN Village; bring family farm-sourced ingredients to HOMEGROWN Concessions®; and achieve recycling and composting goals.                  

Information about local flavor at Farm Aid 2011:

• Farm Aid 2011 is the biggest family farm restaurant in Kansas, and it's open for one day only! HOMEGROWN Concessions® at the Farm Aid concert features food with local or organic, family-farm-sourced ingredients, including family farm pork BBQ ribs, grass-fed beef brisket, Kansas-raised beef burgers, local veggie burgers, family-farm-raised chicken hotdogs, fresh garden salad and organic popcorn. Breads feature organic Kansas wheat, baked by two local bakeries. HOMEGROWN Concessions® will also highlight pork chops and pulled pork sandwiches from Missouri-based Patchwork Family Farms. At Farm Aid's Youthmarket Farm Stand, staffed with local youth, concertgoers can buy fresh, local peaches, berries and granola from a small startup. Beverages include fresh lemonade and a local company's iced coffee.
• Farm Aid's HOMEGROWN Village will feature hands-on activities that give concertgoers a chance to meet farmers, get their hands dirty and learn about the ways family farmers are growing good food for us. From composting, meat processing and corn grinding to farm trivia games like, "Guess which country the food in your grocery store comes from" and the "Wheel of Agriculture," concertgoers can learn more about the roots of their food.
• Farm Aid is partnering with Kansas City businesses in order to achieve minimal waste goals at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. All compostable waste at the concert will be turned into valuable agricultural material to improve the health of soil. A sizeable volunteer effort will be on hand to help concertgoers differentiate between landfill-bound trash, recyclables like plastic and compostables, such as food waste and compostable foodservice-ware.
• Farm Aid merchandise will include T-shirts made from Texas transitional and organic cotton, with some of the cotton farmers in attendance. A local vendor is sewing neck coolers to keep concertgoers cool in the sun.
• Farm Aid is calling on all concertgoers to support the Farm Aid food drive by bringing non-perishable food or fresh produce to the concert. The food will be donated to Harvesters — The Community Food Network, which serves 26 counties in northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri and helps feed 66,000 people every week. Volunteers from Harvesters will be at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park during the concert collecting food. Suggested donation items include fresh produce, canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, peanut butter and hearty cold weather meals, like stew and soup. Learn more at www.harvesters.org.
• This year, Farm Aid is starting the festivities off early with the Farm Aid 2011 Kick Off Party set for Friday, Aug. 12. The event will feature local bands, including Oriole Post, family farm-sourced HOMEGROWN concessions, a farmers market, featuring fresh produce from local farms, and more than 20 lively exhibits from farm and food groups in the Kansas City region. LIVESTRONG will offer information about healthy eating tips through its local partners Cancer Action, Midwest Cancer Alliance and the Greater Kansas City YMCA. Members of the press interested in attending are asked to contact Maria Enie at [email protected].

Additional Farm Aid 2011 details for concertgoers and fans at home:

• Farm Aid 2011 will feature performances by Farm Aid president and founder Willie Nelson and board members John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews, who will perform with Tim Reynolds, as well as Jason Mraz, Jamey Johnson, Jakob Dylan, Billy Joe Shaver, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Ray Price, Robert Francis, Will Dailey & the Rivals, Rebecca Pidgeon, The Blackwood Quartet, John Trudell and Hearts of Darkness.
• To help concertgoers combat high temperatures, there will be two misting tents on the Sprint Plaza of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.
• The will be a designated smoking area located within an enclosed area just outside the south gates. The smoking area is accessible to all ticketholders regardless of seat location.
• Fans at home can watch Farm Aid 2011 streaming live from Kansas City on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 5-11 p.m. CDT at www.farmaid.org.
• Willie Nelson's SIRIUS XM music channel, Willie's Roadhouse (channel 56), will broadcast Farm Aid 2011 live from LIVESTRONG Sporting Park beginning at 2 p.m. CDT. In addition to the entire live concert, Willie's Roadhouse listeners will hear backstage interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage hosted by SIRIUS XM's Dallas Wayne.

For updates about Farm Aid 2011, visit www.farmaid.org and join the conversation at www.facebook.com/farmaid and www.twitter.com/farmaid.

About Farm Aid

Farm Aid's mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to raise funds to support Farm Aid's work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family-farmed food. Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $39 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

About LIVESTRONG Sporting Park

LIVESTRONG Sporting Park is revolutionizing the way people engage in the fight against cancer by harnessing the passion and commitment of fans through the community of sports and entertainment. Located in Kansas City, LIVESTRONG Sporting Park is the first philanthropic stadium in the world. Sporting Club and the sport of soccer provide LIVESTRONG a great opportunity to spread health and wellness messages that underscore the spirit of cancer survivorship.

**Editors and Producers Note: Advance credentials are required for all media to attend Farm Aid 2011. Please contact Scott Rieder at [email protected] to apply.**

SOURCE Farm Aid