The Oregon Jamboree has
in-
ished celebrating its 20th year with
huge crowds, top country music per-
formers, a great emcee and some siz-
zling temperatures.
For the most part, it was a very
excellent weekend for Sweet Home.
Jamboree officials say the
crowds were record size and it cer-
tainly appeared that way as the
beach chairs stretched the length and
breadth of the Sweet Home High
School athletic fields.
The campers rolled in in a
steady line starting in mid-week. We
don’t have hard figures yet, but anec-
dotally, at least, from our position in
The New Era office at 1313 Main St.,
it really seems the patrons are arriv-
ing earlier and staying later – which
is really good for Sweet Home busi-
nesses.
These people buy gas and gro-
ceries, they rent sites in local camp-
grounds, they book the local motels,
and generally just spend money. A
lot of that money is spent in locally
owned businesses and it stays here
– and we are not talking about what-
ever pro
its the Jamboree might wind
up with.
A lot of that is due to innovative
twists instituted by Jamboree orga-
nizers. The Safeway pre-Jamboree
party and Neal McCoy’s reception
on Thursday were good reasons to
get here early. Local performers got
a chance to show their stuff at the
Safeway bash, which drew a crowd
that packed the parking lot.
Each year, it seems, more fans
are walking the streets in the morn-
ings, which is exactly what Sweet
Home’s downtown needs. We hope
local businesses were enterprising
and took advantage of that.
The increased traffic may be due
to the improving appearance of the
downtown – thanks in part to profits
from previous Jamborees – and the
increased clustering of shops that at-
tract walk-in shoppers, are part of the
reason for that apparent rise in shop-
ping activity.
The festival is an emotional
event for many of the fans, who
clearly relish watching their musical
heroes perform live. Behind the hi-
larity is a lot of sweat and hard work
accomplished by the hundreds of vol-
unteers who make it all happen. It’s
a well-oiled machine after 20 years
and Sweet Home should appreciate
the fact that it runs as well as it does,
considering that there is very little
paid staff involved.
Sure, there were problems this
year. When you have crowds num-
bering in the tens of thousands, there
are going to be some bad apples in
the bunch and we did hear of fights
and people who simply had had too
much to drink.
For some, unfortunately, that’s
what it’s all about and, from an or-
ganizational standpoint, it’s difficult
to control what people do and still let
them have fun. Hitting that balance
is very tricky, particularly in today’s
post-modern society in which people
increasingly think the world revolves
around them and are here to maxi-
mize their experience in every way
possible.
Mix in some spirits and it can be
a difficult situation, but the Jamboree
staff needs to continue to do every-
thing possible to make sure it doesn’t
reach excessive levels.
The heat was definitely an issue
this year, particularly since, locally,
we had not gotten close to the cen-
tury mark on the thermometer. With
temperatures reported at 104 on Sat-
urday, the medics stayed busy and we
appreciate their efforts, responding
quickly as medical situations arose.
Now we have to wait to see what
kind of numbers Jamboree officials
produce and how they add up. Re-
cord-sized crowds are a big plus, but
the cost of talent, Jamboree officials
have said for a number of years, has
also shot up and talent is what brings
in ticket-buyers. The presence of a
similar festival a dozen miles down
the road and two weeks separated
from the Jamboree gives country
music acts more options – and makes
the market more competitive, we’re
told by those in the business.
The Jamboree has survived for
20 years after local country music
lovers decided a camping festival
would be a good way to bring some
needed cash into the community.
The festival has been a success
because local people have participat-
ed in and supported it.
It has produced many good
things for the community: tens
of thousands of dollars for local
schools; grants for charitable orga-
nizations; income for organizations
such as the Rotary and Kiwanis
clubs, local Parent-Teacher organiza-
tions, Volunteer Firefighters Associa-
tion, the Sweet Home Beautification
Committee, Sunshine Industries and
the Elks; money-making opportuni-
ties for residents who rent out their
extra space for parking or RV sites;
income for local businesses from
the extra 10,000 people in town; and
lots of great country music for local
fans.
Yes, there are drunks, there is
noise, there is traffic, there are lines
in the store. Yes, it’s inconvenient.
But by all appearances it went
pretty well this year and for that we
should be grateful.