Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Economic Development Group Board of Directors Oct. 17 authorized Oregon Jamboree Festival Director Erin Regrutto to begin the preparation work on a new festival, featuring an indie-alternative rock festival.
The decision allows Regrutto to prepare for potential board approval for the event next month.
“At this point, we’re working on really preliminary stuff,” Regrutto said. The organization is “putting some graphics together and coming up with a marketing strategy but trying to hold off as much as possible till we have a full go-ahead.”
Regrutto has given presentations about the proposed festival to the School District 55 Board of Directors and the City Council.
The festival would be a two-day camping and music event held the weekend before the Jamboree, which would help reduce the overall costs of the new festival since set-up and other expenses could be shared.
The plan is to discuss and decide what to do with the proposed event at the SHEDG board’s regular meeting on Nov. 21.
“The decision at this time is do we go forward for 2013,” said SHEDG President Kevin Strong. “If our community is supportive of putting on a great entertainment weekend for music fans, I’m confident they will come.
“We’re looking at it for its positive impact to Sweet Home. We’re looking at it for many of the same reasons our community looked at starting the Jamboree over 20 years ago.
“We see it as a way to bring music fans to Sweet Home, increasing Sweet Home’s visibility in a positive way, to provide fund-raising activities for community groups and to generate income to support our economic development efforts.”
The Oregon Jamboree, a three-day country music and camping festival began as a two-day event in 1992 as a way to raise funds for economic development activities. It generates revenue for SHEDG, which pays an economic development director in cooperation with the city of Sweet Home and funds an exterior improvement program for local businesses, among other programs.
The funds have been used to help fund a variety of local projects directly and through the Sweet Home Community Foundation.
The event also provides local civic, nonprofit and school groups opportunities to raise funds for their programs.
Performers during the 20th anniversary of the Oregon Jamboree, held in August, included Rascal Flatts; Wynonna Judd, who kicked off the original Jamboree; and Dierks Bentley. Neal McCoy emceed the event.
During the Oct. 17 discussion, SHEDG director Mike J. Adams, worried about a potential loss on the new event, suggested caution, starting the new event in 2014, while John Wittwer said SHEDG should move forward.
“I don’t think we should hang our heads if we lost this time around,” Wittwer said. The Jamboree had difficulty for several years when it was new, and individual board members and Linn County lent money to the festival.
“We’re not there,” Wittwer said. “We’re in much better shape than that.”
Year one is a sort of research and development year, Strong told the board. “The real reward would likely be in the future for us.”
In other business, Strong read a letter of resignation from longtime director Elmer Riemer.
“Elmer’s been a rock,” Strong said. “He’s been a workhorse. He’s been a huge advocate for our community and just a great board member, great management team member and a great friend.”
He has been a key volunteer for the SHEDG organization and the community, Strong said. Resigning from the management team and the board of directors, the bright side is that he intends to continue working as a supervisor for the Oregon Jamboree.
Riemer served as board secretary, and the board is required to choose a new secretary at the next meeting.
Present at the SHEDG meeting were directors Strong, Kellie Kem, Michelle Swett, Adams, Cindy Glick, Rachel Kittson-MaQatish, Wittwer, Tom Albert, Phyllis Osborn-Smith and Carol Cromwell. Riemer was absent.