ASHLAND, Ky. — A prominent benefit concert, which features top music names and benefits Appalachian nonprofit efforts, is relocating to Boyd County, Kentucky.

Healing Appalachia, produced by the charity Hope in the Hills, is set to take place for its fifth year from Sept. 19-21 at the Boyd County Fairgrounds in Ashland, Kentucky.

The concert has previously been held at the West Virginia State Fairgrounds in Fairlea, West Virginia and has grown from its first concert having an audience of 1,500 to a gathering that brought nearly 20,000 music fans from 42 states and three countries.

Healing Appalachia co-founder and show producer Charlie Hatcher explains he originally envisioned the concert “like a Farm Aid that would move around Appalachia. Let’s not forget Appalachia is thirteen states, and we love Appalachia whether you’re from New York or Mississippi.”

The move was “a painful decision to have to make but it was necessary to grow this thing and to help create a more stable Appalachian region,” Hatcher said, and “more opportunities of giving on our end.”

“One of the things that makes this so hard,” Hatcher continued, “is because the State Fair CEO Kelly Collins and her staff were the best hosts a person could ask for.”

Hatcher is glad the festival leaves with a great relationship with WV State Fair leadership and has an open door to return. But it was time to make good on that promise to move around the charitable concert.”

Healing Appalachia’s aim is to celebrate recovery and raise awareness of the opioid crisis in the region. In addition to its music acts, the event features speeches from those impacted by addiction, as well as resources and free Naloxone training.

According to their website, the mission of Healing Appalachia is “to produce events that help connect and grow communities of recovery and healing in Appalachia, raising funds and awareness to combat opioid addiction through a wide array of projects and programs from youth prevention, healthy lifestyles and wellness to recovery houses and recovery to work.”

Healing Appalachia is staffed by nearly 500 recovery volunteers, as well as local school bands who park cars, clean the grounds, and lead a march to start the fest. This community spirit has enabled Hope in the Hills to distribute more than $1 million to boots-on-the-ground nonprofits offering life-saving prevention, recovery, and wellness programming across Appalachia and beyond.

Eastern Kentucky native and Grammy nominee Tyler Childers has been the headliner for the past few years of the event and founded Healing Appalachia. Last year’s lineup featured West Virginia’s Sierra Farrell and Louisville, Kentucky’s My Morning Jacket. Past shows have included Gov’t Mule, Shooter Jennings and Trey Anastasio, lead singer and guitarist for Phish, and Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit.

This year’s lineup has yet to be announced, but “Blind Faith” tickets to the three-day show are on sale now https://tickets.healingappalachia.org.

Organizations and businesses that would like to sponsor or partner with Healing Appalachia email producer David Johnson at djohnson@healingappalachia.org.