November 01, 2025

A CONCERT WITH A CAUSE

The Boots and Roots Benefit Concert for the Colfax-Mingo Childcare Center weathered Mother Nature to put on a fantastic show

By Jamee A. Pierson
Boots and Roots headliner Nick Smith, a Nashville musician, takes the stage during the benefit concert Oct. 17 in Georgioz parking lot in Colfax. Submitted Photo

Boots and Roots headliner Nick Smith, a Nashville musician, takes the stage during the benefit concert Oct. 17 in Georgioz parking lot in Colfax. Submitted Photo (submitted)

Crowds outlasted the rain and lightning that put on a show to enjoy an evening of music as the Boots and Roots Benefit Concert for the Colfax-Mingo Childcare Center Oct. 17 in the parking lot of Georgioz. Headlining the event was Nashville musician Nick Smith who made his first trip to Iowa for the event.

“I love it. It’s no different than where I am from,” Smith said. “It’s flat, theres corn, people like 90’s country. I’m all in.”

Smith was tapped to play the concert by friends George and Kathy Dickerson and their daughter, Teresa. A friend of Teresa’s husband, Smith has gotten to know the Dickersons when they traveled to the area the past several years.

“They were throwing this event together as a fundraiser and asked if I would come play it. It’s always good to give back,” Smith said. “For me, they are my friends and when friends ask you to do something you always want to help them out if you can.”

A native of the Volunteer State, Smith got into music after graduating college. He moved to Nashville and started playing gigs on Broadway Street.

“I kind of got thrown in the fire and I’ve been there ever since,” Smith said.

The funds raised from the concert will go to the Colfax-Mingo Childcare Center which is currently under construction on a lot directly north of the C-M Elementary school. The Colfax Economic Development Corporation was awarded a $1.7 million grant from the State of Iowa in early 2025 and is working to match the funds for the new childcare center.

The new center, which is sorely needed in an area that has been labeled a “childcare desert,” will hold more than 100 kids aged newborn through preschool. It is set to up prior to the start of the 2026-2027 school year.