Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
With more than a record-setting $200,000 in its pockets from the 2005 festival, the Oregon Jamboree already improving on last year’s performance as it prepares for the 2006 event.
The Sweet Home Economic Development Group will announce its first official estimate of 2005 profits next month.
In the meantime, sales for the 2006 event are way ahead of last year at this time, Event Manager Peter LaPonte said. Roughly comparing the end of September this year to last, the Jamboree is up from $360,000 in sales to approximately $425,000.
Ticket prices are up by about $10; but last year, the Jamboree had about 75 reserved seats left at the end of September, LaPonte said. This year, there may be three single seats scattered throughout the reserved seating area ? even after the Jamboree added about 65 more seats.
Ticket prices are a factor, but they’re not a primary factor in the improved sales. At 2,000 seats, the price increase accounts for approximately $20,000.
“A couple of things motivate people to buy early on,” LaPonte said. One reason “is they had a great time at the show. They want to buy now because they don’t want to lose an opportunity.”
They know that if they wait to buy their reserved seats and camping till after the festival, it will be gone, LaPonte said.
The third consideration this year is the announcement of Gretchen Wilson as a headliner at the 2005 festival, LaPonte said. “She’s definitely still on the rise.”
Wilson’s new record, “Redneck Woman,” and the older song, “Here for the Party,” will both be here for a long time, LaPonte predicted. “People relate to both of these tunes a lot.”
The Jamboree is near capacity, and SHEDG is looking at ways to pack more people onto the Jamboree grounds, the fields south of the high school.
“We got there last year,” LaPonte said. The Jamboree reached its maximum capacity. It would have been more crowded, especially on Sunday, had the weather not been so hot.
Many concertgoers were tired and worn out by the third day, LaPonte said. The Jamboree and SHEDG are in talks with School District 55 about their contract for use of the fields and “trying to remove the tennis courts from their current location.”
If the district and SHEDG can come to an agreement, “we would revise the whole entry gate, make it more efficient,” LaPonte said. “We’d revise the vendor layout.”
The Jamboree would probably be able to add an estimated 500 reserved VIP seats, LaPonte said. It would move merchandising and expand the backstage area, which have been fighting space issues too.
“It would give the festival a nicer appearance,” LaPonte said, observing that the change would replace a dilapidated piece of concrete, creating a festive look to go with the nice fields.
“It’s going to add to the ambience of the festival,” he said of the proposed change.