Rascal Flatts ‘will get back together,’ Jay DeMarcus' wife Allison believes: ‘They’re still great friends’
Categories: US Education News
The country music trio comprised of Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney and Jay DeMarcus was set to traverse the landscape on a farewell curtain call, "Rascal Flatts Farewell: Life Is A Highway Tour," but "unforeseen" circumstances derailed the band’s plans to perform. "I think that COVID was really what caused the band to cancel their farewell tour and ultimately go in their separate directions," DeMarcus’ wife Allison told Fox News Digital while discussing the inaugural Miss Volunteer America Pageant system. It's an organization she helms designed to provide scholarship grants to young women. The new supergroup, which was formed in 2020 with the mission to "bring '80s rock and classic music back to life," consists of two-time Grammy Award winner DeMarcus; Jason Scheff, longtime lead vocalist for the multi-platinum band Chicago; and Steve Ferrone, drummer for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.They are joined by Chris Rodriguez and Tom Yankton, who have played alongside the likes of Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny Loggins, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Christina Aguilera and a host of others. But it became one hurdle after another for the Flatts when the "Bless the Broken Road" hitmakers announced their intentions to give it one more go-around before bowing out. But the train never left the station due to the pandemic stifling live music venues and Rooney quitting the band unexpectedly, a decision that still irks LeVox, he told Fox News Digital in October.For her part, the "Reel Eats" host is focused on the pageant world. She shared with Fox News Digital that $150,000 in scholarships will be awarded during the national pageant week that commenced May 4 in Jackson, Tenn. It culminates with the Miss Volunteer America Pageant May 7, where 47 young women from across the country will compete for top honors with the national titleholder winning $50,000 in scholarships and the remaining $100,000 awarded to the runners-up, finalists, semi-finalists and state titleholders.Allison said her goal is to expand the pageant to international success and hand out $1 million in scholarships every year."We’re almost there," she said. "Let’s face it, education isn’t getting any cheaper. So being able to introduce these young women to experiences that can shape their lives in a big way is what keeps us going.Allison added that while she doesn’t get much sleep as it is with her various ventures, she hadn't slept in days leading up to pageant week. "Generation Z behaves and thinks differently than Millennials, who are different from those who came before them, so there is a new generation of young girls who aren’t answering emails, they’re DM’ing, and they're on TikTok and all these other social channels. So it’s important to create a foundation that they want to be a part of, and in order to do that, we have to go to where they are and reach out to them in different ways that show our ability to move with the times."