“Rock the Ranch” to benefit charities

Charleston resident and Seneca native Kyle Nicholson is too young to have experienced a series of rock music concerts staged in the 1970s at a farm near Seneca.  These days, however, Nicholson is one of the organizers for outdoor concerts on the grounds of the Charlie B. Ranch in the Snow Creek Community.  The second one, which will benefit three charities, is planned Saturday, August 12.  The three charities that will share the proceeds are Kathy’s House, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Shriners Hospital for Children.  Seven bands that play a variety of genres are lined up, and Nicholson says they represent the best talent locally and regionally.  Nicholson grew up with two of the grandchildren of the late Charlie B. Stancil.  In the 60s and 70s, Stancil was well known for his Chicken Shack dance club in Seneca and later for the rock concerts on his farm.  Thousands of fans attended those concerts; thousands of others, however, took a different view.  They signed petitions aimed at banning rock festivals in the county forever.