HOF Village gives Canton artist and Carrie Underwood fan free tickets. See her reaction
CANTON − Kasey Wassam covered her face in shock.
Her dream is coming true.
Wassam, a local artist with a developmental disability, has a solo art show dedicated to female country music artists at Silo Arts Studio on Friday. But one of those artists stands above the others for Wassam — Carrie Underwood.
Underwood will headline the Concert for Legends on Sunday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Wassam desperately wanted to go, but couldn't afford tickets and missed out trying to win them in a radio contest.
But after the Canton Repository reported Wednesday on her art show and passion for Underwood, the Hall of Fame Village gifted her two third-row tickets. They were presented to her Wednesday at Silo Arts Studio, where the staff recorded her precious reaction.
Tears filled her eyes and she appeared frozen at times.
"Oh, my!" the 26-year-old Akron resident exclaimed.
Wassam wasn't the only one brought to tears.
"We heard about Kasey's story and couldn't resist," said Madison Zurakowski, public affairs officer at the Hall of Fame Village, a 100-acre entertainment development surrounding the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "The Hall of Fame Village provided the tickets, and the video brought our team to tears; it gave us chills to see how excited she was."
Country theme: 'Let's Go Girls.' Downtown Canton art show celebrates Carrie Underwood and other stars
'It made me so happy I cried.'
Underwood, a Grammy-winning and platinum-selling country music artist, is headlining the 8 p.m. Concert for Legends during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival . She's the first female musician to hold the top slot at the annual show.
When a Silo staff member held out the tickets, Wassam gazed at them in disbelief before dabbing her eyes with a tissue and then finally grabbing the tickets at the urging of fellow artists and Kat Francis, the studio's artistic director.
Francis, who has worked with Wassam on her art, also was overwhelmed by the generosity of the Village and Kasey's good fortune.
"It made me so happy I cried," Francis said.
Wassam "has a passion for music and an admiration for artists like Underwood that is so beautiful," she said. "I know this show will be an experience of a lifetime, and it made my heart so happy to witness the community of Canton band together to give her this amazing gift, as though the city of Canton was chanting her name and rooting for her."
Karen Perez of Jackson Township also had read the article and contacted the Repository on Thursday, offering to purchase a ticket for Wassam. She was thrilled to learn of the Village's gift.
"A young woman with so much passion for Carrie should definitely be going," she said. "So happy to hear she's in the third row! My daughter and granddaughter and I have tickets. ... They've been watching Carrie Underwood's intro on TV on Sunday Night football for years."
All shook up
When contacted online by The Repository, Wassam was still overjoyed.
"I'm like shocked and shook up about this," she said. "It's so amazing."
Wassam will be going to the concert with her mother.
"I'm excited," she said. "I haven't been to a female concert before, so it's the first time actually. I've seen Eric Church and Jason Aldean."
Concert for Legends Carrie Underwood is performing in Canton this weekend. Here's what to know
Friday art show features Underwood, Parton, Tucker and Twain
Wassam's art exhibition, "Let's Go Girls" will be 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Silo Arts Studio, 431 Fourth St. NW. during August First Friday festivities in downtown Canton. The art show is free and open to the public; it features 60 to 80 art pieces, including paintings, dolls, guitar straps, a crochet tapestry and diorama.
Other country music stars depicted in Wassam's artwork include Tanya Tucker, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Lainey Wilson and Shania Twain.
Canton-based artist and social media influencer Dave Sherrill teaches at Silo.
"Kasey is laser focused on expressing her love for the history of female musicians in country music," he said. "Her passion for her favorite music really shows in her art, sculptures and crochet."
Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com .
On X (Twitter) @ebalintREP and Instagram at ed_balint
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Carrie Underwood fan gets free tickets to Canton concert
