Flynnville Train, a southern rock band, will headline the 2010 Balloons & Tunes Festival Friday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m., and Ringgold native Nathan Farrow will be the opening entertainer the same day at 6 p.m.

VIP seating for Flynnville Train and Nathan Farrow will go on sale Aug. 1 and are $5 each in addition to the price of a general admission ticket, which are $6 for an adult for one day of the three-day event.

Only 200 VIP seats will be sold. Tickets for VIP seating may be purchased at the Walker County Chamber of Commerce located inside the Walker County Civic Center between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets may be purchased with cash, check, Visa or Master Card.

General admission pre-sale tickets go on sale Aug. 1 and can be purchased at any Cherokee Regional Library. Adult admission can be purchased for $6 for one day or for $18 for all three days. Tickets for children ages 7-12 are $3 for one day and $7 for all three days. Children six and under will receive free admission to the Balloons & Tunes Festival.

For more Balloons & Tunes Festival information, visit www.balloonsandtunesfestival.com or call 706-375-7702.

About the entertainers

Flynnville Train — made up of Brian Flynn, Brent Flynn, Damon Michael, and Tommy Bales — embraces a southern rocker portrayal. Flynnville Train has been compared to Waylon Jennings and the Kentucky Headhunters and performs southern rock reminiscent to the 1970s.

Their latest single is “Preachin’ To The Choir.”

“I think we connect with the working class, because we are the working class. And we feel music is good music, period,” said Brian Flynn, lead singer of Flynnville Train.

From the time he was able to walk, Ringgold native Nathan Farrow was playing music.

“When I was around five, my grandparents would take me to my uncle’s old chicken house that he converted into a place where people would gather for jam sessions. I would sit up on the stage and play my plastic guitar all night.”

As Farrow grew older music took a backseat to sports. It was during his days at Ringgold High School that his interest in music would return.

Over the next few years Farrow balanced playing the occasional gig along with raising a family and maintaining his career as a firefighter.

In 2005, he was introduced to a local performer Davey Smith, and after a few weeks of playing some small gigs, Smith encouraged Farrow to go after it full time.

Today, Farrow can be found playing all over Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Farrow's crowds have grown from a few people in a small bar to record-breaking crowds at many venues.