HUMBOLDT — The fifth annual Veterans Appreciation Concert will be held Saturday in Lower Sheldon Park in Humboldt.

“Back in 2012 I believe, my friend and I were leaving from fishing by the dam and an advertisement came on the radio for a veterans appreciation concert in Nebraska,” said Dwight Lindquist, the event’s coordinator, about the beginnings of the concert. “It seemed like a long trip to be advertising out here, about an eight-hour round trip. My friend says to me, ‘Well, you’ve been booking bands for years and you’re a veteran. You should put on a show around here.’ And that’s how the idea got started.

“Then I put the pieces together with the Dakota City VFW. I really wouldn’t be able to do a lot of these things without them; they’re like my right hand.”

Lindquist said after checking with a couple of different sites, the unanimous decision was made to hold the concerts in Humboldt.

“One of the reasons we chose Humboldt, too, was because we were looking for a bit smaller of a town that was more closely knitted,” he said, “a town Norman Rockwell would have painted.”

The concert is held to honor active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as veterans of all kinds. Lindquist himself is a veteran, having served 22 years in the Navy.

The concert is free for any active duty, guards, reserves, and VFW auxiliary members with their ID. Kids 15 and under have free admission, but they must be accompanied by an adult. For other guests, the entrance fee is $10.

Along with the music, there will be vendors such as Hy-Vee and Dean’s Gourmet Kettle Corn, as well as face painting and a bouncy house provided by Pat Hogan.

The opening act for the concert will be Jesse Wilson & Friends. Wilson is a singer-songwriter from Iowa who blends country and rock music to create his own original music. Wilson is also a member of the Midwest Country Music Organization.

The main act will be country musician Sara Morgan from Kansas City, Missouri. Morgan has been singing for more than 12 years with her first full-length release, Average Jane, released in 2018. Religion is important to Morgan, who has a degree in biblical and theological studies.

Lindquist is excited for the upcoming concert and all his hard work around the event.

“The Dakota City VFW helps and handles the beer garden, but as far as getting the sponsorships and setting up the acts, I handle that. It takes a lot of work.”

The gates will open at 4:30 p.m. with a military ceremony happening at 6 p.m. from the Iowa Air National Guard’s 133rd Test Squadron Honor Guard. Jesse Wilson & Friends will begin at 6:30.

If you go

What: 5th annual Veterans Appreciation Concert

When: Saturday, gates open at 4:30 p.m., military ceremony at 6 p.m., concert at 6:30 p.m.

Where: Lower Sheldon Park, Humboldt

Cost: Free for any active duty, guards, reserves, and VFW auxiliary members with their ID. Kids 15 and under are free admission, but must be accompanied by an adult. For all others, the entrance fee is $10.