South Penn Dixie will be bringing its country flair to the Palmerton Festival for the second year.

“We couldn’t be more excited to play again for our friends in Palmerton,” member Ricky Bell said.

“Of course, we love playing on the big stage and seeing so many country music fans dancing and singing along. Before and after our set, we also enjoy browsing the food vendors and talking with other fair attendees.”

The band formed in early 2020, with the like-minded, experienced musicians meeting through Craigslist.

Mark Bracken (bass guitar) and Ricky Bell (vocals/guitar) answered an ad by John Malachefski (drums) to start a country music band.

“After one rehearsal, we knew we would need an additional guitarist and went to an open mic in Saylorsburg,”

Bell said.

“We ran into Marc Bunn (vocals/guitar) who blew us away with his performance.”

The band spent most of 2020 in lockdown, learning the material. They finally started playing in August of that year.

Their specialty is upbeat modern country songs as well as classic country and rock songs.

“We tend to favor artists such as Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, Blake Shelton, Brooks & Dunn, Eric Church, Kenny Chesney, and Jason Aldean,” Bell said.

“We rotate our set lists to keep things fresh for us and the listener but there is 100% chance you’ll hear ‘Country Girl’ by Luke Bryan, ‘Beer In Mexico’ by Kenny Chesney, ‘Chicken Fried’ by Zak Brown Band, and Darius Rucker’s version of ‘Wagon Wheel’ in our show. These must-have songs always help us engage with the audience.”

Bell said they’ve been playing in the Palmerton area for the last two years. “We are now seeing some familiar faces from show to show. We just want to express our appreciation to these repeat fans.”

The band will play from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. Friday on the main stage.