‘Whispering’ Bob Harris, who is best known as the host of The Old Grey Whistle Test on BBC2 between 1972 and 1988, and who now hosts the Bob Harris Country show on BBC Radio 2, will attend the annual street party, where he will be making recordings of local artists which will be broadcast on his ‘Under the Apple Tree’ YouTube channel.
Co-organiser Niall MacFirbhisigh, of Stoked Music, said that it was a ‘huge coup’ to bring Mr Harris over for the charity event.
‘The country genre is the fastest-growing in the UK now and he is regarded as the British face of it,’ Mr MacFirbhisigh added. ‘So it’s phenomenal that he is coming over for the event.’
After taking a break last year, the Halkett Hoedown is due to return on Sunday.
The streets around Bean Around the World will be closed off with straw bales and Western-themed decorations put in place.
Attendees are encouraged to wear Western-style fancy dress for the party, which will feature live country, Americana, folk and blues music performed by Jersey and UK acts.
There will also be line-dancing, Western-themed games, a fancy-dress competition, food stalls and an outdoor bar, run by Dunell’s.
A 50/50 raffle, where half of the proceeds are paid out to the winner and half to the charity, is due to be held again after a prize of £4,375 was won in 2015.
Since the Western-themed street festival started in 2014 it has raised more than £40,000 for Headway.
The non-profit event, for which a voluntary donation is requested on entry, is the brainchild of Mr MacFirbhisigh, Bean Around the World proprietor David Stokes and fund-raising events co-ordinator Louise Stirling.
This year it will raise money for five charities – Brig-y-don Children’s Charity, the British Heart Foundation Jersey, Headway Jersey, Mencap Jersey and the Jersey Alzheimer’s Association.
Commenting on the event, Mr Stokes, who won Community Champion of the Year at the Pride of Jersey Awards in 2015 for his work with the Hoedown and other fundraisers, said: ‘It’s for charity, it’s about community and it’s all about having a good time.’
