Benny Westcott and Scott Swanson
The 28th Oregon Jamboree finished with a bang Sunday as 20-year-old sensation Laine Hardy stepped in to headline the day’s program after Ashley McBryde was unable to show.
The festival, which didn’t officially get the green light, publicly, anyway, until April, was blessed with some “really good” weather Friday and Saturday, with mild temperatures and a light cloud cover, that resulted in “some amazing sunsets,” Director Robert Shamek said.
He said things went well, for the most part.
The show featured a full lineup of headliners Billy Currington on Friday and Dustin Lynch on Saturday, with appearances by Lonestar and Blanco Brown Friday, Oregon natives Jessie Leigh and Jessie G on Saturday, followed by Parmalee and CAM, and Walker County and Cloverdayle, with a fill-in appearance by Brewer’s Grade Sunday afternoon to patch the schedule together.
They played to peak crowds of about 12,000 both Friday and Saturday, and about 8,000 on Sunday, Shamek said.
“I think we worked everybody over pretty good on Friday and Saturday,” he joked.
Patrons also got a tipoff on next year’s lineup with the announcement of Trace Adkins as one of next year’s headliners. Shamek said more announcements will be coming.
The weather on Friday afternoon delayed the opening of the gates to fans slightly, as organizers waited to see if a threatening thunderstorm would materialize. That didn’t happen, though opener Jobe Woosley & Co.’s performance on the Deschutes Stage was abbreviated as patrons streamed in to place their chairs on the Sweet Home High School athletic field.
By the time Praise in 3D – George Dominy and sons David and Cliff – performed the national anthem, things went pretty much on schedule until Sunday evening, when McBryde was unable to reach Sweet Home.
Shamek said McBryde was playing the Watershed in the Columbia Gorge when the transmission went out on the bus transporting her and her band.
The arrival of “American Idol” winner Hardy did arrive.
“He was a little surprised,” said Shamek, who got video of Hardy’s reaction when he learned he was moving up to the headliner spot. “He was excited.
“Laine Hardy is just amazing. He’s really on his way up to some stardom.”
Brewer’s Grade, led by singer and primary songwriter Zac Grooms, which hailed originally from Arlington, a tiny town two hours east of Portland, had headlined at the Deschutes Stage Saturday night and didn’t hesitate when asked to step in on the Main Stage Sunday afternoon so Hardy could move up to the headline spot.
“They played a full program,” Shamek said.
He said organizers made some changes to the layout, in addition to moving the smaller second stage out of Sankey Park onto the west end of the main grounds.
The sponsor hospitality area, which had been on the west end of the field, where the Des-chutes Stage ended up this year, was moved much closer to the Main Stage, and a new wine bar “was very successful,” Shamek said.
“We switched some things up,” he said, noting that newly planted grass in Sankey Park helped determine the Deschutes Stage move.
Oregon natives Chad and Rachel Hamar of Cloverdayle served as emcees through the entire festival, as well as performing on both stages.
Patron Cindy Schroeder, 71, of Paradise, Calif., has been coming with family to the Jamboree for 17 years. She attended this summer’s event with her son, who lives in Medford, and her granddaughters and great-granddaughters.
“We all have trailers and motorhomes, and we make our little ‘U’ and camp and eat. We just enjoy the outing. It’s our yearly get together,” Schroeder said.
After the year hiatus from the music festival, she said “We were glad to hear it was back up and running again.”
Schroeder said her favorite part of the weekend was “just seeing everybody here and following the rules and doing what they need to do. Of course the bands are always great as well. We come with our family and we just have a good time.”
Shirley Stratton, 59, of Myrtle Creek, said that she has attended more than 10 Jamborees. She bought tickets to last year’s canceled show and decided to roll them over to this year.
“Even though some of the entertainers weren’t as big as we’ve seen, I was so excited to be able to come back out and get to see the music.”
She said she’s been to the Willamette Country Music Festival before, and she “likes this setting better. It’s so much cleaner and a more relaxed atmosphere.”
“And I love the fact that it is where your guys’ community is,” she added. “That’s part of why I like the idea of coming back to this and coming back to you guys again.”
She said her favorite part of the 2021 festival was introducing her friend to the event that had never been there before.
Stratton also said “I’m loving some of the local Northwest bands this year. They’re really great.”
“And I always enjoy Dustin Lynch. He’s just fun,” she said of the Saturday night headliner.
Police Chief Jeff Lynn said things went “really well” from a law enforcement standpoint.
“We haven’t run all the numbers, but from perception, compared to the last few Jamborees, our call load was down,” he said. Inside the venue there were fewer incidents this year, too, he added.
“Overall, I was really pleased with how it went, particularly since we were dealing with some staff shortages.”
The local police got help from Linn County Sheriff’s Office and Lebanon Police Department, he said.
Fire Chief Dave Barringer called the weekend a “non-eventful event.”
“We did not have a lot of calls for service,” he said, other than “some people having issues with the heat.”
Although a fire was reported just before 9 a.m. Sunday morning at the old Weyerhaeuser Mill site off Tamarack Street east of 18th Avenue, it was “very quickly” extinguished, he said.
Shamek said the general mood at the festival was the most positive he’s seen since 2008, when he first began volunteering at the Jamboree. He took over as director in 2015.
“This year, out of any year I’ve ever been involved with the Jamboree, we had more patrons smile, thanking us,” he said. “Vendors, everybody was super excited to just be out and having a great time.”