PetroSun Independence Bowl Announces Charity Concert Series

Shreveport, La. – The Independence Bowl Foundation and the bowl’s title partner, PetroSun, are pleased to announce the “PetroSun Independence Bowl Charity Concert Series,” a special set of concerts that will benefit area non-profit organizations.

The series will include six concerts in Shreveport-Bossier over the course of the next year, beginning with a performance by country music legend Earl Thomas Conley at Municipal Auditorium on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.

A large portion of the proceeds from the Earl Thomas Conley concert will benefit “Sheriff’s Safety Town”. The remaining proceeds will go toward the “Every Kid Counts” charity, which is a public children’s charity co-founded by PetroSun CEO/Chairman Gordon M. LeBlanc Jr. and based in Phoenix, Ariz., where the company is headquartered. An “EKC” chapter recently opened in Shreveport-Bossier.
“Sheriff’s Safety Town” is “a project of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office and is designed to protect children by teaching safety skills and allowing them to practice those skills in a safe environment.”

“Teaching our children the importance of safety builds a stronger community,” said Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator. “Your support of Sheriff’s Safety Town will help.”

“The Shreveport Fire Department is honored to have the opportunity to be a part of Sheriff’s Safety Town,” said Shreveport Fire Chief Kelvin J. Cochran. “We ask you to support this event and our efforts to save lives through injury prevention education.”

Conley, who became interested in country music at the age of 10 in his hometown of Portsmouth, Ohio, revived his singing career within the last decade with the release of an album in 1998 entitled Perpetual Emotion. The ten-track collection contained five new songs co-written by Conley and five newly recorded versions of his most popular No. 1 hits.

Conley garnered multiple Grammy nominations for his 1983 hit song “Holding Her & Loving You,” which won the award for “Country Song of the Year”, and also became the first and only country artist to ever appear on the popular R&B television show “Soul Train” as he sang his 1986 hit “Too Many Times” with Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters.

“Helping Today’s Youth become Tomorrow’s Leaders” through educational, athletic, and philanthropic programs for all youth is our mission,” states the “Every Kid Counts” web site. The program partners with schools and various community-based organizations to enhance its goals of improving the lives of youth through a wide range of initiatives.

All tickets to the concert are general admission and are available for $10 and $15 through the PetroSun Independence Bowl’s office by contacting Adam Choate at 318.221.0712 or toll free at 888.414.BOWL. The bowl office is located at 401 Market Street, Suite 120 on the main floor of the American Tower in downtown Shreveport. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.