Thousands of vehicles carrying cowboy boot-clad country music fans descended upon a normally quiet family farm in South Huntingdon on Saturday afternoon.
The 90-acre Cunningham family farm, tucked into a maze of rural roads not far from Interstate 70, welcomed country music star Luke Bryan’s annual Farm Tour.
Hayrides, tractors, school buses, RVs, cornhole boards and tents scattered across the grounds and country music blared from speakers as tailgaters and concertgoers awaited the performance.
About 18,000 tickets were sold and 7,000 vehicles were expected to park on the grounds.
In Howard Sorton’s eyes, the atmosphere could not be beat.
“It’s on a farm,” said Sorton, 53, of Elizabeth Township, shuffling a cornhole bag in his hand. “You can’t ask for a better thing than that.”
Attending the concert with a group of friends, Sorton took a hayride to the grounds early Saturday afternoon, missing the brunt of the traffic that backed up cars to the interstate a few hours later.
I’m out in Smithon covering the @lukebryan concert today for @TribLIVE. Here’s a look at the traffic leading to the venue. pic.twitter.com/L8fhkCDXO4
— Quincey Reese (@QuinceyReese) September 28, 2024
Chris Gibson, Sorton’s cornhole opponent, was shocked at the turnout for the show.
“It’s just amazing seeing this traffic,” said Gibson, gesturing to the rows of vehicles lining the field. “I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like getting out of here.”
Gibson, 71, of Wilkins Township is registered to run the Great Race 10K on Sunday morning in downtown Pittsburgh.
“It’s going to be a late night,” he said, “but you’ve got to live for what it is right now.”
Gibson said it’s been years since he’s seen a concert. He is familiar with Luke Bryan through his son, who is a big fan.
Jennifer Knapp, who grew up about 10 minutes from the venue, couldn’t believe the excitement drawn to her hometown.
“It’s very crazy. We came through Smithton, and we’ve never seen it so busy,” said Knapp, now of Uniontown. “Definitely never something that I ever expected to be here, because there’s nothing that ever happens here.”
Concert tickets were an early birthday gift for Knapp, who turns 37 Tuesday. The tailgating turned into a bit of a reunion, she said.
“I’ve already seen a few people that I know from here locally, so that’s fun, too,” she said.
Fans line up at the gates for @lukebryan’s annual Farm Tour stop in South Huntingdon just before gates open at 5 p.m. | @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/xe7U0s90CR
— Quincey Reese (@QuinceyReese) September 28, 2024
A 45-square-mile township, South Huntingdon has a population of about 5,400 people, according to the 2020 U.S. census.
“I think it’s really cool for (the Cunningham) family to have that opportunity,” Knapp said of hosting the Farm Tour, “especially in this small town that doesn’t get a lot of publicity.”
Having seen Luke Bryan in concert three times, Amber Rindt was excited to hear the artist would come to a small Westmoreland County town.
Rindt, 43, of Harrison City reminisced on the Rolling Rock Town Fair, an outdoor music festival held in Westmoreland County for about five years in the early 2000s.
“We remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair, and (this is another) big concert (in a) small town,” she said. “It’s awesome.”
Rindt attended the concert with her family and two other family friends. It was their children’s first concert.
“I think we’re just excited to be with our friends,” she said.
Though fans expected to dodge raindrops throughout the day, skies remained cloudy but rain free early Saturday evening.
About 50 parking attendants, 100 state police troopers and 300 security guards assisted with the event.
