Announcing the Winners of LOCKN’ 2019 Superlative Awards

To celebrate the class of LOCKN’ 2019, we hosted yearbook style superlatives! These are your winners in the following categories… LOCKN’ Spirit Award: For Attending Every LOCKN’, They Love Each Other Award, Most Likely To Become Your New Best Friend, Super Hero Award: Most Likely to Save the Day, and LOCKN’ Class Clown. Congratulations to our winners!

Scroll down to read the great stories and to find out who won!

Winner of the LOCKN’ Spirit Award: For Attending Every LOCKN’

Gary Madsen

Megan Simms is nominating her friend Gary Madsen for the LOCKN’ Spirit Award. She thinks Gary is the perfect fit for this award because he hasn’t missed a festival yet, and when he is there, he rides the rail in his cool suits enjoying every moment! Who can tell Gary’s experience better than himself? Here’s Gary’s story.

People sometimes wonder why I love LOCKN’ so much! I have been to every LOCKN’ Festival since it started. It truly is the happiest place on earth for me. I have truly been blessed here. In 2018, The Suffers and the crowd sang Happy Birthday to me. I’m still in shock that it actually happened. I was surprised when Susan Tedeschi wished me a happy birthday. Derek did the same and tossed me the slide he played with that night. I had Dave Frey and Pete Shapiro comes down from the stage to take pictures with me for my birthday. Having the drummer Toby from Grateful Gospel comes out from behind the drums to wish me a happy birthday. In 2017, I was the one who tossed David Shaw from The Revivalists the “Virginia is for Music Lovers” shirt that he wore for most of the show and tossed it back to me towards the end of their set. I had Brandi Carlile and her guitarist wish me a happy birthday as the stage was spinning after their set. In 2016, I ended up on a record album photo due to the Hard-working Americans taking a photo of the LOCKN’ crowd. That same year I got to go backstage after church to meet the members of Grateful Gospel and I have become friends with some of them. In 2019, I had so many band members wish me a Happy Birthday and Susan once again was kind enough to extend me a very special happy birthday at the end of “Layla.” I also was blessed to have gotten to meet a very special lady who I deeply care for and I have started a relationship with LOCKN’ IS FOR LOVERS!

I have been lucky to be the focus in so many wonderful pictures and posts that LOCKN’ has shared on their Facebook page and the amazing photographers who make these moments last a lifetime. I think it’s a miracle just to be a part of musical history. Plus, let’s not forget all the amazing friends and family I have made there, plus all of the photographers I have had the pleasure of meeting and making friends with and all the wonderful souls I have been able to spend my time with! I can’t think of a place I would rather spend my time or people I would rather be with than my LOCKN family! This year I met my girlfriend and fell in love at LOCKN’. Also, Megan is my LOCKN’ love story. We met this year, planned a cruise while riding the rail, and less than a week after we got home she came to visit me. Now we are planning our next trip back to LOCKN’ and our future together. Yet another reason I love LOCKN’ so much! I just wanna say thanks for helping make me feel so wonderful, I am truly grateful for all of you and hold you in a special place in my heart!

Congratulations, Gary!

Winner of the Super Hero Award: Most Likely to Save the Day

Jerry Alger

Fran Alger nominated Jerry for the Super Hero Award, especially after showing so many selfless acts throughout the LOCKN’ weekend.

Jerry Alger was a superhero making sure we were all safe during the crazy storms. The after the storms he helped around to get everything back together. He is always “taking care” of everyone around him, friend or stranger. Help’s on the Way should be his motto.

Congratulations, Jerry!

Winner of the LOCKN’ Class Clown Award

Chloe

Sara Jones nominated her funny friend Chloe for 2019′ Class Clown based on many priceless memories.

My friend Chloe is one of the goofiest, giggliest people I’ve ever met. I nominated her because she constantly puts a smile on my face during the weekend with her jokes and shenanigans. There is never a dull moment with Chloe!

Congratulations, Chloe!

Winners of the Most Likely To Become Your New Best Friend Award

Nathan and Timmy

Mark Vallem has nominated Nathan and Timmy for the “Most Likely To Become Your New Best Friend Award”. Mark shares how these mini LOCKN’ celebrities are the sweetest, caring, and loving kids on the campground.

After having their picture published in the LOCKN’ Times, 7-year-old Timmy and 9-year-old Nathan were recognized everywhere they went. But the brothers never let their fame go to their heads! They loved hanging out with our camp neighbors, who we’re going to link up with next year, the LOCKN’ staff, and other kids around the fest. Nathan even got to meet his favorite musician, Mihali from Twiddle. Make sure to fistbump the LOCKN’ Bros when you see them at next year’s fest!

Congratulations, Nathan and Timmy!

Winners of the They Love Each Other Award: For the Cutest Couple

Lauren Bryan & David Coker

Lauren LiVeechi nominated Lauren and David for the “They Love Each Other Award”. Lauren shares their fairytale with us.

Lauren Bryan and David Coker are a unique, engaged, couple from Raleigh, NC. Their love story began over 25 years ago, in middle and high school. They dated numerous times, amidst an on-going scrabble match between their shared group of friends. After high school, David went off to Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and Lauren stayed in Raleigh, attending North Carolina State University. Lauren soon got married and had 2 boys, while David lived a bachelor’s life, following his favorite band around until his mid-30s, when he was blessed with a son as well. Currently, together they share 5, 13 and 17-year-old sons. They remained friends after parting ways as teenagers but rarely saw one another. When David went off to college, he wrote Lauren a very special note in her yearbook, but they never realized just how powerful, and telling, that note was until they found each other again nearly 20 years later. After Lauren’s marriage ended, David was there. He was her light when all she saw was darkness. They had always loved each other. They had always felt a void, but suddenly, over a social media post of David’s son, they reconnected, and they have not looked back since. David and Lauren didn’t have the easiest of roads, but together they share a love for music and the outdoors. This love strengthens their bond in ways for which most couples are still searching. They support each other in everything they do. They are each other’s best friend, and they are each other’s champion, encourager: person. David and Lauren attend many shows throughout a normal year, and they got engaged in Alexandria, VA while attending one on 3/16/2019. Their first LOCKN’ Festival was in 2019. To them, being at LOCKN’ is like being in another world. It was their world and it ended too soon: they can’t wait to be back on that magical farm. Aside from music, they spend a lot of time in the mountains around Boone, NC. David is an avid snowboarder, and Lauren, along with all 3 boys, learned to snowboard just this past year. They hike, camp, go to App State football games in the Fall and live a true, close, family life with their children. In Raleigh, their lives are filled with time together at their boys’ football, tee-ball, swim, paintball events and gatherings with friends they love to call “Framily”. David and Lauren’s life is an adventure that neither of them were expecting, but they share every minute of it, with music as their shared pulse, together.

Congratulations, Lauren and David!