Audrey Gomez
Most tweens are not concerned about preserving their baby clothes, but 11-year-old Alyssa Carlan is working on a project of sorts.
Alyssa has collected more than 100 autographs from Oregon Jamboree artists. They’re all on the blue and white gingham dress with the watermelon print collar she was wearing at her first Jamboree festival 10 years ago.
“Alyssa has come to the Jamboree since she was 1 year old,” said Frances Williams, her grandmother. “She was wearing a little dress and they took it off her because it was so hot. Every year they bring it back for autographs.”
Some of the signatures are not easy to decipher.
Alyssa’s mother, Deana Carlan, said the first signatures were on the collar, though she admits she doesn’t recall who penned them.
“I was making a list last night, trying to remember everybody,” Williams said Thursday, July 25, as she and her granddaughter played cards by the entry gate to the Jamboree. They’d been there, first in line, since Wednesday evening, she said.
Williams, who lives in Coos Bay, has been attending the Jamboree for more than 20 years.
“I love it up here.
“I’m getting old so I probably shouldn’t sleep on the sidewalk any more,” she added, laughing. She’ll be 65 years old in a couple of months, she said.
“We have a camp too,” Williams said. “We take turns.”
They came prepared for the hot sun and the long hours with a cooler full of water. She and Alyssa played Uno Thursday morning at the spot they secured outside the Jamboree entry gate.
In addition to Uno, they brought “the cards we play Go Fish with, coloring books, regular books, pens, and colored pencils,” Alyssa said.
The long wait was worth the effort. The family claimed an area close to the front of the stage, a good spot to see Sam Hunt, whom Alyssa and her sister Kylee were looking forward to seeing.
Even as they enjoyed this year’s event, the family started to plan for the 2016 Jamboree.
“I already went and got our tickets for next year,” Williams said.