It was a homecoming of sorts a week ago Saturday night in Russell County as native Tara Conner, the 2006 Miss USA, returned home to open with her group, Jamestown Avenue, for country music recording artist Dustin Lynch at the Russell County Schools Auditorium.

“I am so proud of Russell County’s very own Tara Conner,” said Susan Melton, the auditorium’s director. “She has a great message to share of her life struggles and how she overcame those through her music.”

Melton also said she was glad the facility was able to offer another country music star to the folks of Russell County.

“Dustin Lynch is well on his way to being in the same league as Easton Corbin and Justin Moore,” she said. “Those who came out to enjoy the evening had a great time and are looking forward to the September 8 concert of Thompson Square with an opening by band Aly’an. Tickets for this event are selling quickly.”

Conner, along with Alexander Seier on guitar and vocals and Brandon Belsky on bass and background vocals, performed several of their own songs and some recent hits on the Billboard charts before Lynch took the stage with his rowdy, honky-tonk twang.

“Singing has always been my number one dream and I was always too scared to do it because I didn’t think that I could,” Conner said. “But I’ve been writing music for about three or four years now and I just got together with Brandon and Alex and they’re excellent musicians and we write well together and it just works.”

Conner, who now lives in Los Angeles, said she felt like it was the right thing to do to put on a show in her hometown, honoring her small town roots and where she came from.

“It is so nice to come home and see so many people who have supported me through the thick and thin,” she said. “My family is so special to me, they’re the number one people in my heart and it was great to have them around for this experience. My mom was more nervous than I was I think.”

Conner formed the group earlier this year and said they play together regularly.

“We have some huge trips to Nashville coming up,” she said. “I think ultimately we’re going to move there pretty soon.”

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The Russell County Hospital Board of Directors voted to hold the property tax rates at the level they were last year and not raise them at last month’s meeting of the board.

The current and compensating rate from the hospital looks like this: 6.6 cents per $100 of real properly, 9.2 cents per $100 of personal property and 9.2 cents per $100 of motor vehicle and watercraft, according to Ken Kimsal, the hospital’s chief financial officer.

Kimsal also gave the financial report for the facility, saying that revenue in July was five percent under budget while inpatient revenue was under by 14 percent and outpatient revenue was under by two percent.