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April 19th, 2011
Friends and well-wishers are invited to a casual gathering at the Columbus Riverwalk Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. to remember the late Ean Evans of Columbus.
"The Mississippi Kid," as he was affectionately known, lost his battle with cancer in May 2009. At the time of his passing, and for the eight years prior, he was bassist in the iconic Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.
April 19 is the two-year anniversary of The Mississippi Kid Festival, a medical fund benefit concert held at the Columbus Fairgrounds in 2009. At that event, Evans was able to perform a final time on stage with members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and other musicians who contributed their talents on what became known as Ean Evans Day.
Those attending Tuesday's gathering at the Riverwalk are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets, and picnics. While no formal concert is planned, several area musicians are expected to perform. Artist Sammie Austin, who painted custom portraits on some of Evans' guitars, will create a painting on site.
Evans' EvansCapps CD, recorded with Bobby Capps of .38 Special, will be sold for $1, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
Ean Evans was known for his generous spirit in helping others and for his commitment to his community and Mississippi. Eva, his wife of 24 years, hopes his memory can inspire others to give back.
"Even something as simple as picking up trash you see in your path, cooking a meal for the elderly who are home alone, changing a light bulb for someone who needs help ... just because. We'd like to see everyone give to our community in some sweet way," said Eva.
20 2009 Mississippi Kid Festival
For making the 2009 Mississippi Kid Festival possible a very special thanks goes out to:
-Lynyrd Skynyrd
-Stix
-Chris Hicks of Marshall Tucker Band,
-Bobby Capps of 38 Special and Evanscapps,
-Joey Huffman of Hank Williams Jr. Band,
-Jerry Scott of Molly Hatchet,
-Bo Bice,
-Blackberry Smoke,
-Crossin Dixon,
-Dirt Brothers Band,
-Five Miles High
-Todd Harell of 3 Doors Down,
**Local Bands:**
-Big Joe Shelton,
-Double Shot,
-Dawn Barham Band,
-Finding Revel,
-The Priest and the Saint
-Majik Productions Tupelo, Ms
(Billy Armstrong)
Friends, family, and the town of Columbus, MS all gave their time and hard work to make the MS Kid Festival a memorable event. A list of all volunteers is being updated on this page, but there were so many, it is hard to name everybody. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and God bless everyone that helped with the festival. Thank you to all of the fans that came out to support the Evans family!
~Ean and family
The family arrived early before dad, so we got caught in the big rain storm! I felt soo bad for all of the people out front that got soaked. The stage crew were working hard at keeping all of the equipment dry. Finally the rain stopped and the sun came out! Thank you God! The ground was very muddy and everyone had their jeans rolled up and muddy feet. It was fun though. Then dad came. What a sight that was. They brought him through the crowd in a limo and everyone stood up and cheered for him. There was not a dry eye backstage. I could not believe how many people came to support dad. Not all the bands got to play because the rain put them behind schedule. But the music was all great!
Dad has been working on his own side project with Bobby Capps of 38 special. The band is called Evanscapps. They played last night for the first time live, minus Ean. It was great. Bo Bice sang a few songs with his acoustic guitar.
The best part of the whole night was seeing my dad reunite with the band (Skynyrd) on stage and seeing him perform with them. He has been so weak lately that we didn't think that he was even capable of doing something like that. With God's help, all things are possible. He sat in a chair a played his bass...and so did all of the band members...ALL in chairs! Again, it was a happy/proud/emotional time for us all. Everyone was so proud of him.
This festival was an example of southern love and how good people with good hearts can all come together and show their love and support for someone they love. SOO many people donated their time, effort, and money to make this happen and the Evans family would like to thank all of those who supported this festival. Thank you to all who came out to enjoy the festival and support Ean and to all of those diehard fans who still stayed even after the rain had totally drenched everyone! Thank you to all who were there in spirit and for your prayers!
This will be a memory of ours we will never forget!
GOD BLESS YOU!!! ~Sydney (daughter) 4/20/09
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