September 10th - 12th
We are actively adding to the itinerary! More details coming soon!
Thursday, September 10th:
Family and faith night
5:00pm - 9:00pm
Friday, September 11th
Local music talent show
5:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday, September12th.
10:00am - 9:00pm
ABOUT MARTIN’S GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL
After the Tennessee Soybean Festival was canceled, we knew the loss would be felt throughout our community.
Rather than let the tradition disappear for the year, we began reaching out to local leaders, business owners, churches, artists, musicians, vendors, and community minded people to see if there was a way to continue the heart of the festival on a smaller scale.
Over the years, there have been many opinions about the direction of the Tennessee Soybean Festival. But there is no denying that many parts of the festival helped bring people together, support local talent, and create memories for generations of families in Martin.
Martin’s Grassroots Soybean Festival is about getting back to the root of that value.
It is about celebrating local artists, local food, local music, local crafters, small businesses, families, and the farmers who are an important part of the history of our town.
This is not about creating the biggest event possible. It is about creating a space for our town to gather, celebrate one another, and remember what makes Martin, Tennessee, special.
We have met with the Tennessee Soybean Festival Committee and discussed whether this year’s grassroots gathering could operate under the existing festival structure. Although we are not able to use the previous structure, including the legal structure, we did not let that keep us from working to preserve the tradition of gathering together.
As suggested by the Tennessee Soybean Committee, we are moving forward with registering a separate community festival with the state and building a new structure from the ground up.
Our door remains open, and we fully hope to work with the Tennessee Soybean Festival and the City of Martin in the future if the Tennessee Soybean Festival returns next year.
We are optimistic that through community sponsorships, local support, and careful planning, Martin’s Grassroots Soybean Festival can cover its costs and become an asset to the community.
After event expenses are covered, all remaining festival proceeds will be contributed to the Friend of a Firefighter campaign, another grassroots effort focused on helping provide life saving equipment for our firefighters.
This festival is being built by the community, for the community.
And our hope is that it gives Martin a reason to gather again.
Our Grassroots Sponsors
Martin’s Grassroots Soybean Festival board of directors
Sponsorship Director - Shelby Hatchel
Coordinates festival sponsorships, including sponsor outreach, sponsorship packages, donor communication, and sponsor recognition before, during, and after the event.
Shelby Hatchel is a Martin native and a graduate of Westview High School, where she was a cheerleader. She attended the University of Tennessee at Martin and was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi.
She previously served as Communications Specialist for the Tennessee Department of Veterans Services.
Shelby is the daughter of Mike and Linda Hatchel, who own the Martin Dairy Queen. She is also a member of First United Methodist Church in Dresden.
As Fundraising Director for the Martin’s Grassroots Soybean Festival, Shelby is proud to support an event that celebrates the people, businesses, and traditions of Martin.
Volunteer Director - Tamara Kelso
The Volunteer Director helps organize and support the people who make the festival possible. This role oversees volunteer sign ups, communication, scheduling, placement, and coordination throughout the event to make sure volunteers feel prepared, appreciated, and connected to the mission of bringing the community together.
Tamara Kelso coordinates volunteer recruitment, placement, and orientation. Having served as a higher education administrator at four universities, Tamara coordinated numerous major events and supported large-scale academic and campus initiatives. That experience helped shape her strengths in organization and community engagement.
Though her roots are in Texas, Tamara and her husband Kent have proudly made Martin their home for the past eight years. Inspired by numerous family members who dedicated themselves to public service, Tamara developed an early appreciation for civic engagement. She currently serves as a volunteer with multiple organizations in the Martin community and values opportunities to contribute her time to causes that benefit others. She and Kent are proud parents of two sons and daughters-in-law, Kaeden & Tori and Kellan & Paige.
Operating Director: Keithon Currie
Coordinates festival logistics, including setup, teardown, vendor flow, volunteers, site layout, safety, and general event support. Works with the board, vendors, volunteers, and city contacts to help keep the festival organized and running smoothly.
Keithon is the founder of Elevated, a brand built on the principles of growth, purpose, and community empowerment. He is a devoted husband, father of four, member of Refreshing Church, staff member at UTM, and a proud 21-year member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He is passionate about serving and uplifting others.
Through Elevated, Keithon has spent the last six years coordinating the Black Avenue Black Business Expo, an event dedicated to celebrating and supporting Black-owned businesses while creating opportunities for entrepreneurs to connect and grow. In collaboration with WCRP, he has also helped organize and host the annual Juneteenth Celebration for the past five years, creating spaces that honor culture, history, and unity.
His commitment to the community also includes organizing initiatives such as Flavor Fest, Back 2 School Drives, the Push 2 Purpose Conference, serving on the Vision Leadership Team, and leading the Redefining Success Team. Through every endeavor, Keithon’s mission is to inspire people to live with purpose, strengthen communities, and create opportunities that leave a lasting impact.
Contact: Iamelevated24@gmail.com
Faith and family night director - Alex Gallien
Oversees Faith and Family Night from start to finish, including programming, church involvement, family activities, vendors, the community grill out, and overall flow for the evening.
Alex Gallien is a West Tennessee native, a 2011 graduate of South Fulton High School, and the Lead Pastor of Overflow Church in McKenzie, Tennessee. Alongside his wife, Samantha, and their two-year-old son, Roman, Alex has called Martin home since 2019, though his roots in Weakley County stretch back much further through family, church, and community connections throughout the region.
A passionate advocate for rural America, Alex believes some of the most meaningful things God does happen in small towns through ordinary people. He loves West Tennessee, considers Martin the premier city in the region, and is committed to seeing it continue to thrive. Through his leadership at Overflow Church — where many Weakley County residents worship, serve, and lead — he works to invest in the spiritual and practical well-being of local communities.
Alex and Samantha both share strong ties to the University of Tennessee at Martin. Samantha is a proud alumna of Zeta Tau Alpha and continues to invest in current members through mentoring and choreography, while Alex has had opportunities over the years to provide spiritual leadership and speak to various sorority and fraternity groups on campus.
As Overflow Church prepares to expand its ministry presence into Martin by 2027, Alex is excited to continue serving and supporting the city he and his family proudly call home. He is honored to serve as the Faith & Family Night Director for the Martin Grassroots Soybean Festival and looks forward to celebrating the people, faith, and community spirit that make Martin such a special place.
Contact: alex@overflowchurch.net
Music and Entertainment Director: Matt Lampley
Oversees all festival entertainment, including booking artists, coordinating schedules, managing musician communication, organizing the local talent show, and working with production to support each act.
Matt Lampley is the Executive Pastor at First Baptist Church of Martin. He is a proud alumnus of UTM and his roots are in the area. His ministry includes 25 years of television and live event production, which will be valuable to Martin’s Grassroots Soybean Festival. After serving in ministries across from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf Coast, Matt is excited to be back home to serve locally. It’s important to him to live and serve in the community because it allows him to build real relationships and make a lasting impact. Being present in the community helps him understand people’s needs, and serving gives him a way to meet those needs and contribute to something meaningful.'
Contact: mlampley@fbcmartin.org
Production Manager: Chad Brewer
Oversees the festival’s technical production, including sound, lights, microphones, stage flow, equipment setup, and support during performances.
Chad Brewer is a technical leader with over a decade of experience in AV and live production. He serves as System Administrator at UTM and Technical Director at FBC Martin. He has worked for professional production companies, helping produce events from intimate gatherings to large scale productions. He is passionate about the technical arts and making events run smoothly. He is dedicated to precision, problem solving, and creating memorable experiences.
Marketing and Community Organizer Director: John Sellers
Leads festival promotion, public communication, community outreach, sponsor visibility, and storytelling while helping keep the message focused on gathering and celebrating what makes Martin great.
John Sellers, along with his wife Courtney, and two sons Henry and Jack are the owners of Martin’s Coffee and Bakery in downtown Martin, Tennessee. Together, they have spent 9 years creating a space where people can gather, connect, and grow.
John’s work has grown beyond coffee and food into a larger mission of creating spaces that bring people together.
Through his consulting, John has helped bring gathering spaces to communities throughout West Tennessee and Kentucky, namely McKenzie, Huntingdon, Troy, and Martin.
John has also helped build fundraising support systems for nonprofits and has led teams through Kenya and Nepal to work with nonprofit organizations and support international aid efforts.
His work is rooted in the belief that strong communities are built through hospitality, trust, shared work, and building spaces that give people the opportunity to fellowship. He believes preserving and building community takes action, and that meaningful traditions only continue when people are willing to make sacrifices to carry them forward.
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