WASHINGTON CITY — What spins around Southern Utah’s world Wednesday night may feature some slow dancing in the parking lot and to others, church in a Chevy — and quite possibly a few fans willing to buy dirt.
You can take it from me.
Maybe you can’t buy happiness, but you can experience it this Wednesday.
Yes. You can take it from me.
ACM’s two-time nominated “Male Artist of the Year” Jordan Davis will be performing a benefit concert July 27 at Staheli Family Farm, located at 3400 S. Washington Fields Road in Washington City. The farm will open its doors at 6 p.m., with the concert starting at 8 p.m. The concert benefits local nonprofit organization “Get Outside,” which was started by local oral surgeon Matthew Mizukawa and his wife, Julie.
The Louisiana-bred, Nashville-rocking country star has been rising in fame in the Country Music world since coming out in 2018 with his chart-topping album, “Home State,” which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Country Music Charts. After the release of “Home State,” he has since had four No. 1 hit songs: “Slow Dance in a Parking Lot,” “Take it From Me” and “Singles You Up.”
However, his true “claim to fame” came from his hit duet, “Buy Dirt,” which released in July 2021 and was in the Billboard Top 200 Country Music Streaming Chart for 33 weeks. The hit song was written in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and relays the importance of things that really matter in life. It was streamed over 250 million times in 2021.
On his official website, Jordan Davis said of the song:
When Covid hit, I was worried that I’d lost a career that I’d spent my entire life building. It took me a couple months to realize I already had everything I needed — a roof over my head, a beautiful daughter that I could watch grow up, and an amazing wife. I had my family, faith, and friends. As humans, we always want what we don’t have… but it’s good to take a step back and refocus on what’s really important.
The concert put on by Synergy Entertainment will benefit a local nonprofit organization called “Get Outside Utah” that has made changes in many local youth’s lives, especially pertaining to physical and mental health.
Get Outside Utah was started in 2018 by the Mizukawas in response to seeing the negative effects of excessive use of video games and television from several medical studies, and the organization was formed to bring about the promotion of educating youth on the benefits of outdoor recreation and activity.
The organization found that three things prevented youth from being active outside, including:
- Lack of funding.
- Lack of education.
- Lack of opportunities.
In an effort to address these issues, Get Outside Utah has helped get Southern Utah youth into the great outdoors to experience what they may be missing. According to 2021 data from the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, an international scholarly medical journal, “one third of the child participants (34.3%) typically spend 8 or more hours playing outdoors per week in fair weather seasons.”
“Outdoor recreation has been proven to not only bolster physical health but also mental health,” Matthew Mizukawa said. “We help the youth overcome these barriers by providing opportunities, education and financial support to the youth so they can get into the outdoors.”
Get Outside Utah currently has a student club or organization on every high school campus within Washington and Iron counties. Now they help youth enjoy activities like rock climbing, wakeboarding, cycling and more.
The concert starts at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at the Staheli Family Farm in Washington City, and general admission tickets are $37.50 + taxes and fees. Tickets can be purchased on the Staheli Family Farm website by clicking here.
As a side note, blankets and chairs are allowed. No outside drinks or food will be permitted. Staheli Farm is an alcohol/smoke/vape/cigar/drug-free area.
For more information about Get Outside Utah, click here to visit their website.
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