Luke Bryan concert expected to bring 18K fans to South Huntingdon farm

Surveying a sleepy South Huntingdon farm field Friday morning, it was almost impossible to believe that in a little more than 24 hours, about 18,000 people will fill it to attend a concert by country music star Luke Bryan.

“They’re going to have it all set up in just about six hours,” said Josh Cunningham, part of the family hosting this stop on Bryan’s annual Farm Tour.

Some minor but crucial work — setup of lighting and portable toilets — was taking place Friday, but the stage and concert area won’t start being built until early Saturday morning.

“The fencing rolls in tomorrow, too,” Cunningham said. “They’ll have an 8-foot-tall chain-link fence around the whole thing.”

Back in the spring, Bryan’s management contracted with a local business to seed the farm’s fields with a combination of oats and rye grass. It was recently mowed to create the parking areas.

“The drought really murdered us,” Cunningham said. “But it drains fairly well, and we also actually have field drains that were installed back in the 1970s, that drain toward the Yough (river). We’re not sure how well they still work, but they’re here.”

The National Weather Service is calling for a humid day Saturday with highs in the lower 80s and a 30-40% chance of rain in the evening.

The area around the Cunningham farm is bracing for the concert’s impact in different ways.

Several residents along Fitz Henry Road have already put up caution tape and a myriad of “no parking” signs to make sure overeager concertgoers or late arrivals don’t park in their front yards. One, however, has a large “Welcome Luke Bryan” sign in the front yard along with some political signs and Halloween decorations.

Near the Interstate 70 off-ramp, which will funnel the vast majority of traffic to the concert, Speedway Manager Rachel Starr said she and her staff have been preparing for Saturday’s concert since early September.

“We found out back in April,” Starr said. “We’ve been ordering extra over the past two weeks, making sure to stock up on everything we think we’ll need.”

Right on cue, Starr was interrupted by an employee calling out, “The beer truck is finally here!”

A manager at the nearby Flying J truck stop declined comment.

State police expect heavy traffic along Interstate 70 and Route 51, and are asking anyone not attending the concert to avoid the area.

Fitz Henry Road will be closed from the concert site to Skyline Drive, and Skyline Drive will be closed from the Fitz Henry intersection to Route 981. In addition, Sherbondy Road will be closed at its intersection with Motordrome Road, and Painter-Koser Road will be closed.

Just southwest of where the concert will take place, a small neighborhood of 25-30 houses will be largely cut off from civilization once the road closures go into effect.

For Luke Bienia, whose property abuts the rear of the Cunningham farm, it’s not a big deal, and he’s not planning to listen from his backyard.

“There’s a couple country songs I like, but not many,” Bienia said. “I’m not really concerned about it.”

A woman living nearby who declined to give her name attends the same church as the Cunningham family. She said she made plans a while back to be out of town during the concert.

The area also is home to several commercial warehouses and an industrial park. Staff at Levin Furniture and Mattress said that while they’re normally open Saturdays, they’ll be closed tomorrow in anticipation of concert traffic.

For concertgoers, parking lots open at 2 p.m. Vehicles will not be permitted to wait on Fitz Henry Road before the lots open.

Gates open at 5 p.m. Ticket holders are not permitted to bring the following items into the venue: firearms or weapons of any kind, coolers, backpacks, outside food or beverages, glass containers, non-service animals, video cameras, large umbrellas, footballs, Frisbees, all-terrain vehicles or golf carts.

The concert begins at 6 p.m.