GREENBACK, Tenn. — The small town of Greenback is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors for the highly anticipated Rock the Country music festival, set to take place this weekend at Maple Lane Farms. The event, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, is expected to draw between 12,000 and 15,000 attendees each day, making it one of the largest gatherings Greenback has ever hosted.
Located on the Blount-Loudon County line, Maple Lane Farms will serve as the venue for the festival, which will be held on the Blount County side of the town. Local officials are excited about the opportunity to showcase Greenback’s charm to an influx of out-of-town visitors.
Mayor Dewayne Birchfield expressed his enthusiasm for the event, emphasizing the town’s commitment to hospitality. “This here is a small community, and we do our best to treat people right and to make them feel welcome,” Birchfield said. “It’s an opportunity for us to share a little piece of Greenback with everyone who visits.”
For local businesses, the festival presents a prime opportunity to cater to festivalgoers looking for food, drinks, and a break from the music. Jess Barnhart and Abby Brown, employees at the nearby Bluestem Hollow Cafe, are preparing for an influx of customers. “I believe we are expecting a pretty good crowd, just because people are going to be out there, and when they’re not at the festival, they might meander out here and try to find some coffee, some snacks, and we’re ready for that,” Barnhart said.
To accommodate the expected crowds, Bluestem Hollow Cafe has added a special drink to its menu for the weekend and stocked up on locally sourced snacks, meats, non-alcoholic beverages, and other farm-fresh products. “I think that a lot of people will love coming to visit and seeing everything, a little bit different here in Greenback,” Brown added.
With the large crowds expected, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office has formulated a traffic management plan to mitigate congestion and ensure smooth flow throughout the event. Lt. Randy Ailey of the BCSO Traffic Unit noted that officers will be assigned to the area from Thursday through Sunday to manage traffic and assist with crowd control. “We’re going to have units here to try and lessen that impact. The flow of traffic, we’re going to try not to change any more than we absolutely have to. We’ll have two-way streets on all the roads, and we won’t be shutting down any roadways,” Ailey explained.
The festival is set to feature performances from major acts like Kid Rock and Nickelback, whose shows will kick off at 9:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday night. “When the concert actually lets out is when we’ll have the biggest crowd, biggest influx at one time,” Ailey said. “We will probably have 20 to 25 deputies, either out roaming checking on people or at intersections directing traffic.”
The last major concert held at Maple Lane Farms was in 2016, when country music star Luke Bryan performed to a packed crowd. This year’s festival is the second stop on the Rock the Country tour, which is making its way through 10 small towns across the eastern United States.
As Greenback braces for the festival, both locals and visitors alike are looking forward to an unforgettable weekend filled with great music, lively crowds, and plenty of small-town charm.
