8News gets a visit from Avery Walls Music Festival founder ahead of Saturday’s festival

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — 8News got a visit from the founder of the Avery Walls Music Festival and Avery's father to discuss Saturday's event, which will raise money for the American Heart Association (AMA).

Anchors Delaney Hall and Autumn Childress were joined by Shannon Walls, the founder of the Avery Walls Music Festival, which is happening on Saturday, April 26. He shared how his son, Avery, was diagnosed with a rare heart condition when he was 1 year old.

"He was born with a rare heart condition called Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome, which caused his heart to beat very rapidly and not get enough oxygen through his body," he said

While in the process of having Avery receive care from cardiologists when he was 20, he suffered a heart attack and died in his sleep two months before he turned 21.

"Music was always a big part of our lives," Shannon Walls said. "I'm in a local band called Side Peace, and my bandmates, seeing the grief that we were going through, helped to organize the music festival last year."

After having six bands last year, Walls said this year, which will also be held at Park RVA, will consist of nine bands.

"We raised over $30,000 for the American Heart Association," he said. "It was so successful and everybody was so moved by the efforts that we decided to do it again this year."

"It's incredibly humbling. People have been reaching out for weeks, months," Walls added. "People [are] wanting to know how they can support, wanting to be there, wanting to perform."

For more information about the festival, click here.