The Florida Cracker is arguably the place for the younger crowd in Hernando County when the sun goes down and the street lights come on.

It’s known for bringing some big names to town. Soon the bar area, the empty patio and the empty lot behind the bar will be filled with fans cheering on the man behind the bluesy-country music.

From “The Sun is Shining Down” to “She’s on my Nind, JJ Grey will spearhead live concerts at the Florida Cracker. 

Florida Cracker Brand Manager Mandi Dixon said, “We had JJ Grey planned in May and of course COVID happened, and so we had to cancel that and then we postponed it three times.”

Now the date is set, and Dixon and her crew are preparing for their first concert since the start of the pandemic.

“First night sold out in six seconds and the second night sold out in about a minute,” Dixon continued to say. 

Florida Cracker owner Blair Hensley told Spectrum Bay News 9’s Katya Guillaume that they usually have live here regularly but since the Floridian from Jacksonville sold out both nights, now it’s turned into an outdoor entertainment area for folks to enjoy some live music safely. 

“We started Florida Cracker Kitchen and then we picked the property up next door, we picked it up because we needed it for parking,” Hensley mentioned. “With COVID you know it’s an outdoor atmosphere, outdoor event area so it is cover friendly, if you can say that. But as a whole, it’s just giving people a chance to get out.”

Organizers say this is the first of many events that will be happening here at Florida Cracker. Florida Cracker just announced their second annual Christmas concert featuring The Bellamy Brothers and Darryl Worley. Tickets will go on sale Friday, November 13.