Country singer Chris Lane to headline 7th Inning Stretch Festival

Country artist Chris Lane will headline the free concert at the ninth annual 7th Inning Stretch Festival on Aug. 5 in Shelby, N.C. The festival takes place the Saturday before the American Legion World Series each year in Shelby, the permanent home of American Legion Baseball’s championship tournament.

Lane turned to a music career after injuries ended his dreams of playing professional baseball.

Greylan James will open the Saturday night concert at 7 p.m. James was ranked one of the best guitarists in the world under 21 by Guitar Center Magazine’s Brotherhood of the Guitar 100 in 2018.

“We believe we’ve hit another home run with this entertainment lineup,” said Eddie Holbrook, chairman of the local ALWS committee. “When we say thanks to the community for its support of the ALWS, we say it in a big way.”

The free festival, which opens at 3 p.m. Aug. 5 in Uptown Shelby, is a way of thanking the community for their support of the ALWS before the series itself begins on Aug. 10. Eight Legion Baseball regional champions will compete in pool play Aug. 10-13, with the top two finishers in each pool advancing to the Aug. 14 semifinals. The championship game of the 96th ALWS is scheduled for Aug. 15.