THOMASVILLE- The Legend Music Festival held in memory of Levi “Legend” Knop took place on Saturday afternoon, where more than 1,000 people turned out to hear his story and listen to the tunes of Corey Smith.
According to Levi’s mother, Joy, this was the largest turnout the music festival has ever had.
“We’ve never had more than 450-500 people and this year we sold over 900 tickets,” she said. “With the help of nearly 100 people for the event, we had around 1,100 people there on Saturday.”
Joy said she knows not all those in attendance may have been there to hear her son’s story, but is thankful headliner Corey Smith attracted so many individuals who now know Levi.
“As a grieving mother, there’s nothing more you want than to know your child’s life was meaningful,” she said. “You never want your child’s life to be forgotten.”
To ensure Levi’s legacy was never forgotten and that the music festival never lost its true focus, Joy wrote all the artists performing the story of her son’s life and how it was taken too soon.
On January 29, Levi was on his way to school, when a student driving upward of 116 mph struck Levi’s truck in the rear, causing the truck to veer to the left side of the road and strike a tree.
After hearing Levi’s story and speaking to Joy, Smith told her it was an honor to be able to play in his memory and share his story.
Joy said she was so thankful to Smith and his team, along with the multiple sponsors who made Saturday possible.
“I want to thank everyone who took time out of their day to attend,” she said. “The weather was wonderful. I had prayed for weeks leading up to this that any weather would pass before the event. The only problem of the day was having to turn people away.”
Having to turn people away is an issue Joy said she hopes to correct next year.
“We learn something new every year to make this better for everyone in attendance,” she said. “We’ve already started looking at artists for next year and will release the date as soon as we know it.”
Joy hopes to also reveal the grand total for this year’s scholarships, which she knows surpasses any amount made in years prior. These scholarships will all go toward students in memory of Levi.