Trio of Music Icons at Chukchansi Park | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Fresno, CA Mellencamp joined fellow music icons, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan as part of a nationwide minor league baseball park concert tour.

"I think it's wonderful. I've seen two of them twice already, so this is the third time, but I've never seen Willie. So, this is a great venue," said Karen Keller.

With a crowd of nearly 6200 hundred people, Fresno officials hope they can entice these three performers to come back to Fresno next year to perform at the annual Farm Aid concert.

Farm Aid started as a benefit concert in the Midwest more than twenty years ago to raise money for farming families. The tradition continues today, with both John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson serving on the board of directors

Craig Scharton, Fresno's Director of Downtown and Community Revitalization, said they are in talks to bring the concert to the Central Valley.

"It's like a mini-version of attracting the Olympics. You have to get your local leaders together and media on board and everyone else kinda making the pitch for your community so that's what we'll be doing between now and decision time."

Aside from the campaign to get farm aid here, one city official told me that they are working on bringing similar shows to this area as part of an ongoing revitalization project.