Monday, July 8th, 2019

Mobley returns to home town for festival

By Tom Stankard
Photo by Tom Stankard/The Daily Standard

Celina native Wendell Mobley, second from left in front , performs with Bob Schroeder on bass, Jack Martinez on guitar, Mark Utz on drums, Ashley Clark on fiddle and Will Freed on vocals during the Freedom Days Picnic Friday night at Lakeshore Park in Celina. Schroeder, Martinez, Utz and Frank Harnishfeger are in the band Exploit.

CELINA - Famed country music songwriter Wendell Mobley returned Friday night to entertain the home town he says has helped shape his lyrics.
The country music songwriter and musician alongside Exploit and artists Ashley Clark and Will Freed entertained the large Freedom Festival crowd for three hours with 12 songs Mobley has written over the years for the likes of Rascal Flats and Kenny Chesney.
Mobley said his songs have Celina written throughout them.
"When I close my eyes writing a song, I go here," he said. "I learned about all the stuff that goes into country songs. They're all about small towns, country roads, cornfields, old girlfriends and farmhouses. It's all right here. That's how I grew up, and it's easy to write about."
Among the songs he performed were "How Forever Feels" and "There goes my Life," which he wrote for Kenny Chesney, and "Fast Cars and Freedom" and "Take me There," which he penned for Rascal Flats. He also sang his songs "Tattoos in This Town" and "A Little more Sunshine," which were released by Jason Aldean. The band also performed "Sunshine Lady" in tribute to local music legend Ron Rasberry, whom Wendell cited as a big influence.
Music has been a big part of his life since childhood when he picked up his dad's guitar and played it for the first time. Even though he has moved on from playing in local bands to writing for Nashville's stars, he said "this town has never left me."   
"I love this town," he said, adding he hopes to return to play soon.
Many of Mobley's songs have been No. 1 hits and Exploit bass player Bob Schroeder said he enjoyed watching the crowd sing and dance along to the music.
"I really appreciate the community for coming out. It was a great turnout," he said.
Additional online story on this date
Mercer County ACME Sectional
Cavs, Indians to meet in winner's final; 'Skins, Bulldogs still alive
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
The weekend had a mix of surprises at the Mercer County ACME sectional at Coldwater.
While top-seeded Coldwater ea [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
CELINA - The Disaster Recovery Center, located in the Mercer County Central Services Building, 200 W. Livingston St., will close permanently at 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to news releases from Mercer County Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Robbins and Federal EMA.
The Celina Freedom Days Festival and the St. Henry Community Picnic drew large crowds and record numbers for some festivities, according to event organizers.
FORT RECOVERY - A direct descendant of a captain in Gen. St. Clair's first regiment told a large crowd on Sunday afternoon at the Fort Recovery State Museum about his family's part in the area's historic battle.
Auglaize-Shelby ACME Sectional
MINSTER - Minster lost to Fort Loramie in Friday's Auglaize-Shelby ACME Sectional opener at Melcher Street Park.
The Wildcats rebounded with two wins and will now play against the Redskins for a sectional championship today.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
The Coldwater Junior ACME team earned a trip to the state tournament this weekend in Archbold after coming back from a first-round loss to win the Region 4 tournament this weekend.
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Grand Lake lost both of its weekend games with Michigan, allowing the Monarchs to take three of the four games in the series at Montgomery Field.