By Jason C. Mattox

Music lovers will invade the Downtown Square in Batesville beginning Friday night.

This year marks the 11th annual SpringFest, and this year’s musical line-up will feature mostly regional acts and headliner Mark Chesnutt.

The line-up for Friday includes duo Thompson-Ward of Water Valley and Batesville’s own Billy Grantham.

Saturday’s performers will be Sanders Bohlke, Blackjack Road, Willy Waggs, jazz trio Balance of Oxford, Hill Country Blues Revue and Chesnutt.

Chesnutt told The Panolian via telephone Monday morning that he would turn the Downtown Square into a “honkytonk” Saturday night.

Chesnutt became one of the most popular country artists of the 1990s with radio hits like “Too Cold at Home,” “Bubba Shot the Jukebox” and “Goin’ Through the Big D (Ain’t Don’t Mean Dallas).”

“’Too Cold at Home’ is probably my favorite song,” Chesnutt said. “That was the song that really got my career going in 1990, and a lot of artists passed on it before it got to me.

“I’m glad they did because it was really the perfect song and could have been a hit for anyone.”

Chesnutt said those attending SpringFest can expect the feel of a traditional country show rather than today’s modern more pop-influenced material performed by other artists.

“Country music to me is George Jones, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings,” he said. “You don’t hear that type of music anymore. Most acts don’t use a steel guitar anymore, but with my shows, it’s still the traditional country music.”

Chesnutt, who  spent years touring large arenas but has also played smaller venues, said the size of the crowd has never been important to him.

“To me, it’s not about the size of the crowd,” he said. “As long as there is a crowd of people that want to hear my music, I don’t care if it’s 100 people or 10,000.

“We are going to turn SpringFest into a honkytonk,” Chenutt added about his upcoming performance.

“We are going to play a lot of the hits that people know and love, and maybe even some of my heroes,” he said. “People are going to have a good time.”