Folk artist Steve Earle, singer and song writer Bob DiPiero and pianist John McAndrew were among the performers. Booths lined the perimeter of the park, allowing recovery organizations, treatment agencies, and artisans from all over Middle Tennessee to show how they celebrate life in recovery.

The team responsible for SHARE, "Songs of Hope, Awareness and Recovery for Everyone," also attended RecoveryFest and sold copies of the CD at the event.

"Nashville is known for music so we thought that it was only fitting to ask artists to help us reach out to the recovery community with a CD compilation," said SHARE Vice President Stacey Slate-Easterling.

"When we tell people we had 2,500 here celebrating recovery, it gives them hope that by next year's event, they, too, can be a member of Middle Tennessee's recovery community," said Vernon Martin, director of the Nashville Area Recovery Alliance (NARA), one of the groups responsible for planning RecoveryFest 2003.

During Recovery Month, special efforts will be made by NARA, the Tennessee Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (TAADAS), and the Alcohol and Drug Council of Middle Tennessee to reach out to the health care provider and payer communities to encourage their support for effective, available treatment for all those in need.