The second season of Park Theater's Local Connection Series will begin the way the inaugural season wrapped up – with Easton & Friends.

The first show of the 2026-2027 Local Connection Series is set for Saturday, June 27 at 7 p.m. The Local Connection Series was born out of a desire by Park Theater management to shine a spotlight on talented local artists and give them a chance to play in a historic venue which holds a special place in the hearts of many performers.

One such local artist is McMinnville native Easton Adcock. Adcock is pleased to return to the Park Theater to continue the tradition of a show which first started in 2023 at Smooth Rapids and has grown into something much bigger.

"I grew up here and wasn't really into music until I was 18," Adcock said. "I set out to be a journalist and went to school and didn't really do that well. I knew I wanted to do something creative, and I knew I enjoyed the guitar, so I thought maybe I could try to do that. Then the Lord started throwing opportunities my way and showed me I could do the music thing. That has led me to where I am now, living in Nashville and playing for a living. Right now, I'm recording what I call my first true record. I'm working on getting that out there and getting my own tour ready for when I release it. I've been in Nashville around two and a half years. It's a long road and it's a lot of finding yourself. But I think I'm making good progress now."

Playing the Park Theater stage, which has seen established acts such as Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Five for Fighting, Edwin McCain, Gangstagrass and many others perform on it, is a thrill for Adcock who has grown up seeing the Park marquee standing sentinel over the town that helped raise him.

"The Park Theater - what a wonderful place to play music," Adcock said. "Anytime I can find an opportunity to play there, I want to do that. The Lord has lined things up to show me I'm doing the right thing. I said I want to do Easton & Friends at the Park Theater and Ashley (Park Theater Assistant Manager Ashley Gillentine Wright) said 'Great; we're starting a Local Connection Series.' These are signs to me that tell me I'm going in the right direction."

Saturday's show will be opened by Griffin Winton and Bangkok Rust. As the name of the show indicates, Adcock will be joined by several musical friends – some familiar to past attendees of the show and some new faces.

"The show changes every year," Adcock said. "We'll have some new friends this year. When I first started it, I wanted to give anyone in McMinnville an opportunity to come on stage and play. I still do but, as I've been touring, I've made a lot of new friends who are amazing musicians. So, I want to bring people to McMinnville to play and see the Park Theater and to let the people in McMinnville see them. They all live in Nashville now, but they are from all over America."

Adcock says the show will feature a wide range of music including gospel, rock, jam-band, country and more. He describes his own style as simply "rock and roll." The show will feature a mix of original tunes as well as covers.

"I would come to watch this show even if I wasn't involved with it," Adcock said. "It will be some very talented people who are really the best of their craft. They could be legends someday, so people shouldn't miss the opportunity to see that. It's going to be a party. Don't miss this experience."

Adcock is seeking vendors who would like to set up on the Park mezzanine to sell crafts, T-shirts, etc. to add more of a festival atmosphere and encourages anyone interested in doing that to email him at eastonadcock12@gmail.com.

Park Theater Manager Joe Harvey is excited about the return of the Local Connection Series and is proud to be able to offer the theater's storied stage to fellow local artists.

"Speaking as a local performer, there really is something special about performing on the Park Theater stage, so this series means a lot to me," Harvey said. "It's a great opportunity for bands to bring their fans together in a great, local venue and maybe even pull in some new fans. For the audience, it's a chance to discover and support local artists. We typically keep the ticket prices for the Local Connection shows under $25 and we offer an early bird discount for each show in the series. This brings people downtown to eat, shop and enjoy the downtown atmosphere before a show and is hopefully a pretty affordable and fun night out in McMinnville for them. We want to thank our Signature Sponsors Ben Lomand Connect and Security Federal Savings Bank for supporting all of our programming throughout the year and our Local Connection sponsors Main Street Media, Flat Foot Records and The Cafe and The Well at Tree City for supporting this series. 

"We're excited to have Easton kick off the Local Connection series this year. Last year's Easton & Friends show was a great time, and we know folks have been waiting for this one. We love being able to partner with Easton, Griffin and their friends to put this show on and bring so many fans, friends and family members from Warren County and beyond together to celebrate the talent these local performers bring to the stage. We really appreciate how community-oriented this series is able to be, from working with local sponsors to benefiting local artists and also supporting local organizations with donations in our concession stand. It's really a Warren County love fest in here for every Local Connection show."

 Tickets are $15 + tax in advance and $20 + tax at the door on the day of the show and are available at the Park Theater website, the Park box office during business hours and at the door.

Adcock will be at the Main Street Media studios Monday, June 22 to appear on WBMC's Town Talk with Raven and Rob which begins at 7 a.m. and 105.3 WOW Country's '90s at 9 with Justin Reed at 9 a.m.

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