GREAT FALLS — A dream years in the making became reality for Great Falls Special Olympian Jon Hargett during Jelly Roll's performance in Missoula on July 21.
Hargett attended the concert with his friend and mentor Brandi Monks carrying one of his prized Special Olympics gold medals. Long before the show, he had already decided what he wanted to do with it.
"I thought from my heart that would be a great idea," Hargett said of his plan to give the medal to Jelly Roll, who was the opening act for headliner Post Malone at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.
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During the performance, Jelly Roll made eye contact with Hargett in the front row. With help from Monks and encouragement from nearby fans, the country music star noticed the medal, walked over, accepted it and thanked Hargett.
Monks said the moment left few dry eyes in the crowd.
"I was shaking. I was crying ... happy tears," Monks said. "Almost everyone in the concert was crying, smiling, taking photos. It was a really emotional, heartfelt moment."
The exchange quickly spread across social media, but Hargett said what meant the most was the experience itself.
"I was really shocked and emotional," he said. "That's really special for me as an athlete on the Great Falls Wild Hornets team. That means so much."
Jelly Roll was unavailable for an interview, but through his publicist he shared a brief statement about the exchange.
"It was an honor,” he said.
For Monks, the moment represented something larger than a celebrity interaction.
"Inclusion," she said. "Seeing that he accepted it with honor made me happy ... inclusion for people with disabilities."
