The Sweet Home Economic Development Group elected three new board members during its general meeting Thursday night.
The three-year terms of Gary Rasmussen, Beth Lambert and Mary Mansfield expired. Kristen Adams’ and Todd Gestrin’s one-year terms also expired.
Gestrin had resigned last year. Adams and Mansfield chose not to run for the Board again. Adams joined the SHEDG Board of Directors last year. Mansfield has been a member of the SHEDG Board and the Oregon Jamboree Management Team. She also served as Jamboree Event Manager.
Lambert and Rasmussen both chose to continue on the Board. Safeway Manager Ed Spencer was elected to a three-year term. Joyce Ohnesorge, a longtime Jamboree volunteer, and Bruce Davis, owner of Backcountry Pedaler, were elected to one-year terms.
SHEDG membership was more than 60 after the general meeting last week, when persons renew their memberships. Membership in the organization has increased from about 30 two or three years ago, according to Board Secretary Rich Rowley.
SHEDG is an economic development organization for the Sweet Home community. SHEDG operates the Oregon Jamboree, a three-day country music and camping festival, annually to raise funds toward economic development activities.
Last year, the Jamboree earned a profit of around $100,000 and paid off the last of debt incurred during the 1990s.
Jamboree Event Manager Peter LaPonte provided an update on the Jamboree to the SHEDG membership.
“I think we’re in really great shape to have another great event,” LaPonte said. “I just found out we’ve got our biggest talent headliner confirmed today.”
LaPonte would not release the name of the act. The Jamboree already has announced Lee Ann Womack, Tracy Byrd, the Sons of the Desert and Suzy Boggus, John Berry and Billy Dean, with about four more spots to go.
“Ken Collins has worked really hard this year getting our entertainers,” LaPonte said. “And it’s been really hard this year.”
The Jamboree will be held from Aug. 3 to Aug. 5.
Upcoming is the volunteer kickoff. The Jamboree operates with the help of upward of 400 volunteers.
“Without volunteers, there would be no Jamboree,” LaPonte said. He thanked them. “It’s your event. You built it. I’m just lucky to be a part of it.”
In other business over the last year, SHEDG has successfully secured a $30,000 grant to use toward an economic development coordinator for Sweet Home. SHEDG President Jean McKinney expected to have that person hired by April. Telephone and personal interviews are this week.
SHEDG also is considering assisting with another event, a local Highland games festival, which would be held in late August. The SHEDG Board has not decided what role it would like to fill in the event at this point.
“It should be a lot of fun,” McKinney said. “And it should bring a lot of people to Sweet Home who wouldn’t normally come here.”
Sweet Home General Information Resource, SHGIR, was up and running last year, Rowley said. The telephone answering system can be used by callers to order Jamboree tickets or find out more about what’s going in Sweet Home. It can be reached at (877) 87-SHGIR.
The SHEDG Board presented a plaque during the meeting honoring those who had served as a volunteer with the Jamboree for more than three years. The plaque had 44 names on it and will be displayed in the Jamboree office.