The Benton George Harrison Beatle Festival committee met Wednesday to continue plans for the Oct. 4 event.
Treasurer Darren Galloway said tickets are now available, and members are distributing tickets to Memories Antiques on the Benton Public Square, Main Street Records in Mt. Vernon, Plaza Records in Carbondale, Beatles for Sale in St. Louis, West Frankfort Chamber of Commerce and Byassee Keyboard and Sound in Marion.
Memories Antiques is accepting credit card orders by calling (618) 439-4650. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
Galloway said posters would be ready next week.
President Jim Kirkpatrick said a plaque would be presented to Bob Bartel for saving the home where George Harrison stayed while visiting his sister, Louise, in 1963.
“Mayor Gary Kraft will present the plaque,” Kirkpatrick said. “The city is installing zebra stripes on McCann Street before the event to replicate the ‘Abbey Road’ album cover. We hope Gabe McCarty and George Warren will attend to represent the Four Vests, who performed with George Harrison in the Boneyard Boccie Ball Club in Benton and the V.F.W. in Eldorado.”
Vice president Tom Herman said he had talked with George Harrison impersonator Peter Conrad and said Conrad will perform at 6:30 p.m.
“He will also perform a George Harrison tune with AfterBeat, before The Pete Best Band: Best of the Beatles performance at 8 p.m.,” Herman said.
Entertainment director Warren Batts said he has musicians lined up to perform, beginning at noon.
He said an opening ceremony would be conducted outside Hard Day’s Nite Bed & Breakfast, the former Harrison house, located at 113 McCann St.
Kirkpatrick said he would ask the city to close a portion of McCann Street to accommodate musicians and vendors.
The first four tickets were sold later in the day, to long-time Beatle fans from Benton and Rosiclare. Betty Goolsby and Bonnie Thomas said they also were the first in line for tickets to last year’s concert.
“We had ticket numbers one and two last year and are getting ticket numbers one and two again this year,” Goolsby said. “We bought our tickets from Warren Batts last year and have been anxiously awaiting tickets to be printed for this year’s performance by Pete Best.”
“We bought our George Harrison T-shirts four years ago in Hard Day’s Nite Bed and Breakfast, and thought it was appropriate to wear them today to pick up our tickets for this year’s concert,” Thomas said.
Marty and Jan Shadowen of Benton received ticket numbers three and four.
“We are two of the biggest Beatles fans on earth,” she said. “I have been calling Tom Herman about once a week to find out when tickets would be ready. We will be sitting in seats three and four right in front of the stage. We also had seats three and four last year.”
The concert is being held in the East Gym of Benton Consolidated High School.
