Confederate Railroad has finally come out with a statement regarding their predicament with the Du Quoin State Fair in Illinois.
Confederate Railroad’s Statement
On Tuesday, the 9th of July, the band issued a statement about their removal from the fair’s roster, sharing their feelings on the matter and thanking their fans for their support regardless.
Band member Danny Shirley talks about the band’s feelings regarding the decision.
“[Our removal from the show] was very disappointing, as we have played this fair before and enjoyed it very much. The outpouring of support from Confederate Railroad fans, fans of other acts, and the public in general, has been both overwhelming and very much appreciated. I would also like to thank the actors, athletes and fellow country music artists who have spoken out in support.”
The southern rock band was removed from the lineup of the Illinois-based festival DuQuoin State Fair due to their name.
According to the aforementioned state fair’s manager Josh Gross, the Illinois Department of Agriculture had chosen to remove the band from the fair’s initial lineup after a writer for the Illinois-centered political blog entitled Capitol Fax posted the appropriateness of the band to be playing at a state-owned venue.
Gross released a statement regarding the decision to remove the band from the roster.
“While every artists has a right to expression, we believe this decision is in the best interest of serving all of the people in our state.”
The band was supposed to join fellow country bands Shenandoah and Restless Heart as part of a segment called “90’s Country ReLoaded Day” at the Du Quoin State Fair. The latter of the two groups will still perform.
Other artists have spoken out in support of Confederate Railroad. Both Charlie Daniels and the Oak Ridge Boys member Joe Bonsall have voiced their star disapproval of the decision on their respective Twitter accounts.
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