DELIGHT — The Delight Council was apprised on Monday night of the official creation of the Campbell Memorial Foundation and the resulting benefit concert that will be held in Delight.
Steve Campbell told the council the purpose of the organization, which held a meeting in January, was “to raise funds do design and install Glen Campbell memorials at the Campbell Cemetery and in his home town of Delight … also hoping to establish a Glen Campbell Museum in the Delight area.”
Campbell also went on to state that recent bus tours in the area brought to his attention that many younger individuals didn’t even know who Glen Campbell was.
The mission statement he offered to the board went on to state “the purpose of these memorials will be to educate people and commemorate the accomplishments of Glen Campbell through his music. The sheer inspiration of his story as a young son of share croppers in Arkansas going on to inspire the world through his music is one that could change the lives of many!”
Campbell told the board he hoped that the works would “help inspire kids to use their talents in the future,” and advises kids to Google him and “find out what kind of talent he really had … he left here when he was 17-years-old and became on the greatest musicians this world has ever seen, and was very successful with his talent. That’s why these memorials are so important — wherever we can get them erected — some of these young folks that have talent, no matter what it is in, whatever their talent might be, his story of leaving here as a dirt-poor sharecropper at 17 to become as successful as he was will hopefully inspire some of the kids to realize that if you put your talent to work and your nose on the grindstone it can absolutely happen.”
The inaugural concert fund raiser is set for Easter weekend, Saturday, April 20, from 7:30-10:30 p.m. at the Delight School Gymnasium. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m., and a requested donation of $5 per person will be collected at the door.
The lineup will include “more Campbells than you can shake a stick at” including the group Billstown. Also the surviving Glen Campbell siblings — Gerald, Shorty, Jane, Barbara and Sandy Campbell will be a part of the festivities. Also, Clark Campbell is slated to perform, along with invitations having been sent out to others.
While the gymnasium was originally just the backup plan for inclement weather — with the Delight park being the first choice — it was determined simply to hold it at the indoor facility and eliminate any confusion and errors inherent in a venue change.
The event will be held each year on the Saturday closest to Glen’s birthday, which was April 22.
Otherwise, donations can be mailed to the Campbell Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 89, Delight, AR 71940. Campbell said any company, group or individual who wished to donate toward the cause that it would be greatly appreciated. “We take donations year round, he said. “And with the good Lord willing, we’ll get it in and get it done.”
He also noted that the P.O. Box number was significant, with Glen Campbell being buried locally on August 9, 2017 (8-9-17).
“We really don’t know what to expect the first time around and how the turnout will be,” said Campbell, noting the foundation has applied for 501(c)3 tax-exempt status with the federal Internal Revenue Service with the foundation’s official bank account to be held at the Bank of Delight. Campbell also mentioned that two companies — Charis Music Group and Airways Freight — had given the group some initial operating funds.
“We’re probably 3-5 years out to be able to get these things [memorials, museum] in play — because they are not inexpensive,” Campbell stated. “But we have some good folks that will hopefully step up and it will all go well. We’ll just work our way there, and hopefully find some grants and things to help us out to get the memorial into the cemetery, the memorial in Delight, and then go on and start working on the museum.”
Local vendors will be allowed to ply their wares at the event for a flat $25 fee, or more by donation if they wish.
If anyone is interested in being a vendor at the event can contact Steve Campbell at (870) 403-7348.
Foundation board members include Steve Campbell, Andrew Henderson, Josh Campbell, Mitch Allgood, Sean Campbell, Wes Campbell, and Pike County Judge Dewight Mack.
Campbell joked that due to trademark restrictions, he was unable to legally use the name “Glen Campbell” in naming the foundation, so the Campbell Memorial Foundation name was chosen.
Delight Mayor Paul Lane said the event should “draw a pretty good crowd.”
Campbell said he hoped so, to “get a few folks there and let it build each year,” perhaps to the point of eventually having big-name acts in attendance, “depending on how things develop.”