Woodland Creek Farms Summer Jam performed heavy hitting music and show stoppers for attendees. 

It also raised $3,086 in donations that were tagged for a Troup County school music program. That school was Long Cane Elementary, according to a press release from Troup County School System. 

Jack Straw Entertainment has been hosting the summer jam for six years and has donated over $20,000 directly to schools to benefit their art programs. Barron Wood, who sang in the chorus and choir while growing up in Troup County, is one of the founding leaders of the festival. 

 “The proceeds are 100 percent for the schools, both public and private,” Wood said in the press release. “Each year, we pull a school name out of a hat and then donate the entire amount of proceeds to that school.” 

He said Hollis Hand, Hillside Montessori and LaGrange Academy are a few of those schools. 

By day, Wood is a director of business development, but he grew up surrounded by music and the arts, along with Jason Weldon, who is vice president of a well-known insurance benefits company, and Zac Knight, who is a member of The B Sides band that plays across the county. 

Each one of these men have a talent. Wood is a singer, Weldon plays the mandolin and Knight plays every instrument except violin. They all believe in the arts, and grew up together going through music programs. 

“For us, music and arts had an impact on us at some point of our lives,” Wood said. “The majority of our friendship has always revolved around music. It’s always been something that means a lot to us.” 

 “Music was one of the keys that shaped our lives, and we feel it is a part of everyone’s life,” Knight said. “It’s important to have support for the kids at a young age, so they have access to be able to develop in music.”

While Katie Brown, LCES principal, knows her music teacher is already set to purchase recorders for the students, she said the funds will go a long way, 

“This is a huge donation for Long Cane. We want the kids to benefit from it,” Brown said in the press release. 

“I am a firm believer in the arts and our music program. We have a fabulous music teacher in Mr. Curry. We have a lot of students in this building with musical talent, and we want to be able to start showcasing that.”

In addition to recorders, Brown said they will be looking into possibly purchasing drums and other music programs that Curry can use in the classroom to help students grown their musical talents.