Country music star Vince Gill to perform free concert at Sandestin

From Northwest Florida Daily News, Dusty Ricketts

SANDESTIN — A country music superstar will help bring people “Back to the Beach” after what was a disappointing summer season that saw fewer tourists visit the region because of the BP oil spill.

Grammy Award winning musician Vince Gill will perform at a free concert at the Links Golf Course driving range in the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort on Sept. 25. Gates will open at 4 p.m. and the concert will start at 6 p.m.

“We’re excited to have a well-known performer come to the Beaches of South Walton to provide another exciting event in this close of the summer season,” said Dawn Moliterno, executive director of the Walton County Tourist Development Council, which is organizing the concert. “We think it just closes out our season in a big way. We’re excited to be able to do this.”

Gill, who has sold more than 26 million albums and received 20 Grammy Awards, is expected to perform a 90-minute show. Opening acts for the concert are still being finalized and will be announced in the coming weeks.

Although free, the Back to the Beach concert will be a ticketed event with 10,000 tickets being made available next week. A portion of those tickets will be held back for the lodging companies in South Walton to use as incentives to help get tourists to book stays in the area.

A website is being set up for the public to secure their tickets at www.backtothebeach2010.com. Tickets can also be picked up at the Beaches of South Walton Visitor Information Center.

The concert is being funded by the $1.68 million grant the Walton County TDC received from BP earlier this month that were designed to bring visitors back to the beach in late summer and early fall. The TDC has also started its Be Rewarded program with those funds, which offers a $250 gift card to Silver Sands Factory Stores or Southwest Airlines if they book a three night stay between now and Sept. 30. Those reservations must be made by Sept. 15 to qualify for the gift card.
As the TDC was planning and looking for acts for the Back to the Beach concert, Moliterno said Vince Gill’s kept coming up as a good draw for the demographics that vacation at the Beaches of South Walton.

“He was a perfect fit for us,” Moliterno said. “We’re just so appreciative we were able to make it happen in such a short amount of time and have the right kind of performer that fits our target audience.”

This is the only concert the Walton County TDC has scheduled at this time. However, it is possible that if BP provides them with additional grant money that future concerts could be scheduled.