When country music artist Wade Hayes returned home on September 4, 1997 to perform at a local concert, he received a pleasant surprise. The town had erected five signs proclaiming Bethel Acres as the "hometown" of the popular country music artist.

City Officials checked with Wade's parents, Don and Trisha Hayes, before beginning the project. "We were really enthusiastic. We were thrilled and honored," Trisha Hayes said." "We think it's pretty special for his hometown to honor him like that and he will too," she said. (Quotes from the Shawnee News-Star)

Hayes, the 1997 TNN Music City News Male Star of Tomorrow, returned to Shawnee for the "Wade Hayes Homecoming for Habitat" concert. Country music artists Patty Loveless and Gene Watson also performed at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center. A portion of the proceeds went toward the Habitat for Humanity program.

The day before the concert, Wade worked with several other people, including his father, on renovating a home in Shawnee he had donated for the Habitat for Humanity Program. For Wade, it truly was a "coming home" since he had worked in construction with his father before moving on to Nashville in search of his dream.

Return to Main Page