NEW HEBRON — For those tired of standard summer music fare,such as country and western and bluegrass, New Hebron’s ConcertUnder The Stars may be the answer.

The New Hebron Activity Club will host the event, featuringgospel favorites Jeff and Sheri Easter, LuLu Roman and Common Bond,on the school football field at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Dove Award-winning husband and wife duo Jeff and Sheri Easterrecently released their newest Southern Gospel offering,Sittin’ On Cloud Nine, in which they intertwine inspiringlyrics with top-quality musicianship. This year, the couplereceived their first Dove Award for Country Album of the Year,1998’s A Work In Progress. In 1997, they won the ChristianCountry Song category in the Gospel Voice Diamond Awards. TheEaster’s ministry focuses on the importance of family and God’sinfluence over that bond.

“It’s their themes of hope, determination, gratefulness,humility, reliance, love and loss that set them apart and in theforefront of Christian music,” said Jane Little, chairman of theConcert Under The Stars committee.

LuLu Roman is best known internationally as the jovialcomedienne whose signature down-home humor has made her the mostrequested cast member of “Hee Haw.” The television show wasbroadcast from 1968 to 1995.

Roman, however, is also a renowned gospel song writer whose workin that genre has earned her more acclaim than her “Hee Haw” role,both from fans of the show and the gospel music industry. Her 1985release, You Were Loving Me, earned her a Dove Award forBest Album By A Secular Artist.

“If I wasn’t involved in this, I would want to come just to seeLuLu. I grew up on Hee Haw,” Little said.

There has never been in the gospel music industry a phenomenonlike Mark, Luke and John Green, better known as Common Bond –Christian music’s only set of identical triplets. The threebrothers, 26, have been singing together since they were children.They received the Hearts Aflame Awards “Artist of the Year” titleand the Singing News Awards dubbed them the “Horizon Group of theYear.”

Little said the club started the concert series four years agoas part of the September Arts Fest. This year the concert andfestival were separated to ensure a performance by the Easters,whose only open date was August 5.

Whether the concert and festival will be combined again nextyear or left as separate events will probably be determined byattendance, Little said.

The separation of events is not the only new angle being takenon the concert series this year, she added.

“We really made an effort to appeal to a larger audience,”Little said.

She said in years past the performers weren’t very varied intheir audience appeal. Little believes the Easters will bring in ayoung to middle-age audience, Roman’s appeal is to the middle-ageand up group who remember HeeHaw, while Common Bond will attractyoung adults and teens.

Little added that while the performances will be held in afootball field, the stage and lighting are professionally done.

“So it won’t be just on the back of a flatbed truck,” shesaid.

The New Hebron Activity Club will handle concessions. Inaddition to the standard concert and festival fare, the club willoffer their specialty – ribeye steak sandwiches.

Gates will open at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. event.

Tickets for Concert Under The Stars are available at theLawrence County Chamber of Commerce on the third floor of thecourthouse and at the gate.