BAREFOOT CHILDREN
IN THE SAND
Parrot
Head Weekend
FUNDRAISER
JAN. 22 - 24, 2027
HOST HOTEL / HOTEL ELKHART
500 S. MAIN ST
ELKHART, INDIANA
574-389-7900
This year's Barefoot Children in the Sand Weekend Fundraiser will be our 14th year of putting on this one-of-a-kind event and you will not want to miss it.
Our Friday night entertainment this year begins in The Corner Bar during dinnertime with local steel pan player and percussionist Kent Arnsbarger.
Our headliner for Friday night will be Florida singer/songwriter and 2017 and 2018 TRMA Song of the Year Award-winner Barefoot Reggie Starrett and his band.
The Saturday Hallway Party once again features the always entertaining Two Dudes in Flip Flops.
Our Saturday night opening act will be the 2025 TRMA Male Vocalist of the Year singer/songwriter Dan Sullivan.
Our Saturday night headlining act is the Godfather of Trop Rock and founder of Meeting of the Minds Jerry Diaz and Hanna's Reef with their own brand of Texas Beach Music.
Rounding out our lineup is local singer Greg Jones, who will be getting the fun started in the hospitality suite after our nightly main events.
This year we will be raising money for the Alzheimer's Association of Northern Indiana and Berrien County, MI.
EARLY BIRD RATE UNTIL 12/31/26
Weekend Event Pass is just $90.00 per person ($105 after 12/31)
All Day Saturday Event Pass is just $65.00 ($75.00 after 12/31)
Friday or Saturday night show only is $30.00 per night
BAREFOOT REGGIE STARRETT
Barefoot Reggie Starrett is a singer-songwriter, recording artist, and seasoned touring musician whose career blends award-recognized songwriting, relentless live performance, and a distinctive mix of country, rock, coastal, and tropical influences.
In 2025, Reggie reached a major career milestone with his first Nashville song cut, when his original song “This Beer Is Making Me Awesome” was recorded by Texas country artists Roger Creager and Kevin Fowler. The cut marked an exciting new chapter for Reggie as a songwriter and expanded a career already built on years of writing, recording, and performing original music.
Reggie’s songwriting credentials include being a 2017 and 2018 TRMA Song of the Year Award writer. He was also a 2019 TRMA Male Vocalist of the Year nominee and a 2019 People’s Choice Award winner.
But songwriting is only part of the story.
Reggie is a road-tested entertainer who has built his audience one show at a time. Performing both solo and with his band, he maintains an extensive touring schedule across the United States and internationally. In 2024 alone, Reggie performed more than 242 shows in 36 cities, nine states, and six countries.
His live show reflects the wide range of influences that have shaped his songwriting and career, moving effortlessly through country, classic rock, reggae, coastal music, contemporary hits, and Reggie’s own original material.
Reggie has shared the stage with an exceptionally diverse list of nationally recognized artists, including Mac McAnally, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Chuck Berry, The Bellamy Brothers, Spin Doctors, Indigo Girls, Buckwheat Zydeco, The Black Crowes, Foghat, The Drifters, T. Graham Brown, Little Texas, Ty Herndon, David Allan Coe, Shenandoah, and many others.
His 2026 tour began January 5 at the world-famous Tradewinds Tropical Lounge and continues throughout the United States and Caribbean, taking Reggie from the Florida Keys and the Southeast to the Midwest, West Coast, and the islands.
With decades of live experience, award-recognized songwriting, an international touring schedule, and now his first Nashville cut, Barefoot Reggie Starrett continues to build his career around what has always mattered most: great songs, memorable performances, and connecting with an audience.
Singer. Songwriter. Recording artist. Road-tested entertainer.
Barefoot Reggie Starrett is still writing—and the next song may be the biggest one yet.
JERRY DIAZ AND HANNA'S REEF
Your tropical getaway is waiting. And Jerry Diaz is your tour guide. He’ll be ready to serve up a frosty margarita with a twist of Texas Beach Music on the side. All you have to do is let yourself go amigo.
A life-long resident of South East Texas, Jerry Diaz has been performing live music along the Gulf Coast since 1992. Based in the Beaumont, Texas area, Diaz knows the beach bars from Key West to South Padre Island very well. Personal experiences from a life spent in Crystal Beach and New Orleans, along with tales handed down from sailors, fishermen, and beach bums combine to give Diaz a first-hand look into a world of “real life” escapism.
Influenced by both the Beach Boys and Jerry Jeff Walker while in his teens, Diaz picked up a guitar and set out to entertain folks with his favorite cover tunes. Somewhere along the way, he discovered the music of Jimmy Buffett as well. But in the early 90’s, another thing happened. He discovered that he could actually write his own songs that reflected the “beach feel”, but with a Texas perspective. In 1996, while a member of the band “Key West”, Diaz’s first foray into recorded music was released to the public. All ten original songs from Key West’s first album were penned by Diaz, and enjoyed significant regional success. Diaz toured regionally with Key West until 2002, then set out on his own journey as front man for his own band, “Jerry Diaz & Hanna’s Reef”.
Today, Jerry Diaz has 5 albums under his belt, and is working on a 6th. The line-up for the band has changed over the years, but has always featured the steel drum playing of virtuoso Mark Mireles. The full band set-up features an exciting rhythm section, steel drums, and Diaz on acoustic guitar. Diaz also performs solo on guitar for songwriter events, and a smaller version of the band is available as well.
A live show from Jerry Diaz & Hanna’s Reef today will feature a healthy dose of original tunes, and can be a complete “originals” show. But the band also covers Buffett (a tribute version is available), Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown, the Beach Boys, and other contemporary artists.
Diaz’s music is often called “Trop-Rock”, and he is a leading influence in that burgeoning genre. In fact, due in large part to his involvement as one of the earliest purveyors of the genre, and his continued nurturing of up and coming Trop Rock artists, he is often referred to affectionately as the “Godfather of Trop Rock”.
And yes, Parrot Heads, Diaz is indeed the founder of the annual event, “Meeting of the Minds”. He has been featured in several documentaries, news articles, and books on the subject.
Despite the storied background of his career in music, Diaz continues to push forward as one of the most exciting, and “in- demand” performers in Trop Rock music today. Pick up a CD, a download, or attend a live show, and you’ll be inspired by Texas Beach Music yourself!
DAN SULLIVAN
In 2025, Dan Sullivan’s debut solo album Friendships made a clean sweep at the Trop Rock Music Awards- earning Album of the Year, while its title track took both Song and Single of the Year, and Sullivan was named Male Vocalist of the Year.
Based in the Austin area, Dan draws inspiration from legendary Lone Star storytellers Robert Earl Keen and Jerry Jeff Walker, along with the coastal influence of Jimmy Buffett.
Before launching his solo career, Sullivan co-founded the award-winning duo The Detentions with friend and fellow educator Chris Hillier. The pair built a nationwide following, fueled by songs like “Coast” and “Sunburned,” both of which enjoyed more than a decade of regular airplay on Radio Margaritaville. “Coast” later climbed to #3 on the channel’s 2026 “Best Beach Escape Songs” Top 25, as voted by listeners.
Sullivan has since taken his songs to stages across the country, including iconic venues and festivals like The Bluebird Cafe and the Kerrville Folk Festival
TWO DUDES IN FLIP FLOPS
Don't let those innocent faces fool you. They have ruined more Saturday evenings for parrot heads at Barefoot then you can count on two hands and two feet. They are the soundtrack to the hallway party. Remember...Pace Yourself! This is a marathon, not a sprint. Although to quote from one of our members "Sometimes you want to enjoy the ride, and sometimes you just want to get there".
Two Dudes in Flip Flops will get you there; your hair will be messed, you may be missing a couple items of clothing, you may smell a little like Captain Morgan, but they will get you there.
KENT ARNSBARGER
Learning to play the steel drum was a long and frustrating journey, and it still continues today. Compared to other instruments I had studied, the steel drum felt foreign and challenging. But I’ve grown, and I feel that my approach to playing this instrument is unique within the world of steel drummers. Unlike most panists, I record my own backup tracks for more authentic-sounding performances. Many others rely on sequencers or computers to create the accompanying parts, but I believe that music, much like the human body, the dunes, or the sea, deserves soul and the ability to breathe.
I’ve now released seven albums, far surpassing my expectations in terms of sales, both in digital downloads on platforms like Apple Music and Spotify, and in physical CD sales. I’ve built a successful teaching and recording studio, and I perform regularly across the Midwest. In 2022, I had the honor of appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and in 2021, PBS aired a documentary about my journey.