Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Promoter Warren Williamson is moving forward with the inaugural Willamette Country Music Festival in Brownsville July 18-20.
Williamson outlined the progress of the festival last week and reiterated his belief that the valley is big enough for two country music festivals and that his intention is not to compete with the Sweet Home’s Oregon Jamboree.
The Brownsville show will feature headliners John Michael Montgomery on Saturday, Jamie O’Neal on Friday and Josh Gracin on Sunday with Restless Heart opening for Gracin on Sunday.
The country music and camping festival will be held on a 150-acre piece of private property located eight-tenths of a mile north of Brownsville on Seven Mile Lane, directly across the road from Brownsville Baptist Church.
The concert site will include all of the camping for the event, Williamson said, so campers are literally 50 to 75 yards from the venue.
“We’ve done a long-term deal with the owners of this property,” Williamson said.
The owner of the property is heavily involved in the Central Linn School District, where Williamson graduated, and the event organizers are doing several special things to benefit Central Linn athletics, including funding for a new track and scholarships for Central Linn youth.
“I was born in Los Angeles, but I grew up in this area,” Williamson said. He wanted to do something to help out the school district. “Funding is so hard to come by in Oregon.”
With the property owner’s involvement in the school district, “it seemed like a perfect marriage,” Williamson said.
The event is for-profit, Williamson said, but it also is aimed at diverting funds to the school district and the Sharing Hands food bank.
“I’ve had personal friends who’ve had to use that service, so I believe in what they do,” Williamson said.
Williamson’s background is in entertainment, he said. His father worked on programs with Bob Hope, and Williamson, who moved to Central Linn from Las Vegas, owned “Backstage Pass,” a nationally syndicated weekly entertainment show. He began working on the festival in May 2007.
“We’re real pleased with what we’ve done this year for our first show,” he said. He’s proud of the headliners, and “we were really lucky to get Restless Heart,” which is on its 25th anniversary tour on what he believes is the band’s only stop in Oregon.
“We wanted to also showcase local talent,” Williamson said. Local artists will include Alexis Ebert of Albany and Amy Clawson of Florence, both of whom have performed at the Oregon Jamboree in Sweet Home. They are joined by Jennifer Lynn of Portland.
The remainder of the lineup includes Tabor Dame, Bomshel, Jason Meadows and Crystal Shawanda.
“We have 11 artists total, and we might have some special guests,” Williamson said. He has friends in Nashville who may provide special appearances.
The presenting sponsor for the festival is Bi-Mart, Williamson said. With the sponsor, “we wanted to make this a family-oriented event.”
The event will feature hay rides, mechanical bull riding, a climbing wall, an inflatable bounce house for kids and fireworks on Saturday night, he said.
He thinks his festival will complement the Oregon Jamboree.
“I’ve always thought that the Jamboree has done a fantastic job with what they do,” Williamson said. “Peter (LaPonte, event manager), has done a fantastic job. It’s going into its 16th year without signs of slowing down.”
The Jamboree and the Willamette event are both festivals, Williamson said, but they have differences.
“People are going to go the Jamboree every single year just because of the way it’s run,” he said.
True country music fans will see completely different acts at both the festivals, Williamson said. The festivals cannot have the same entertainers the same year.
“I still believe the fans will come,” Williamson said, and they’re coming from all over the Northwest.
“I’ve always wanted and felt that a working relationship with the Jamboree could make both events very strong,” Williamson said. He said he’d like to have LaPonte at his festival and take some stage time to say a few words and promote the Jamboree, although he has not yet contacted the Jamboree with that offer.
“It’s very important that these events acknowledge each other and work for the common good,” Williamson said. “It was never meant to compete with the Jamboree. It was meant to support businesses here (Brownsville), the school district and Sharing Hands.”
At this point, Williamson is getting the facility ready, making sure he has enough volunteers, and tidying up details. The festival goes before the Linn County Board of Commissioners in early June for a public hearing on a mass gathering permit.
“We’re actually in good shape,” Williamson said. “Our ticket sales are going really well.”
At this point, the festival is capping its attendance at 8,000, he said, recognizing the limitations of running a festival for the first time. Event staff will look at how things went this year before making changes and expanding it next year.
“I think that the city of Brownsville is going to take to this like the city of Sweet Home has (to the Jamboree),” Williamson said.
Tickets are $150 for renewable VIP seats in the first 15 rows and $125 for renewable VIP seats from the 16th to the 32nd row. General admission is $75 for three days. Day passes are $55. Children 7-12 are $25, and children under 7 are free.