More than 700 donate time to bring country concert to Sweet Home

SWEET HOME - Sweet Home's population will more than double this weekend as country music fans converge on high school softball fields turned country music festival for the 17th annual Oregon Jamboree in Sweet Home.

More than 12,000 tickets have been sold for the event, held in the community of 8,000.

For three days, more than 700 mid-valley volunteers will pick up cigarette butts, sell T-shirts and other merchandise, shuttle patrons to and from camping sites, and haul tons of ice to vendors, all to generate funds that are earmarked for the community's long-term economic development.

Clovis Chavez, 79, retired after decades at Willamette Industries, has volunteered at the Jamboree's beer gardens for 14 years. His wife, Mildred, also 79, used to help there as well, but last year started working at the sponsor hospitality area.

Work in the beer gardens includes chores such as checking IDs, but "I enjoy it," Chavez said. "I get to meet a lot of people."

The beer gardens generate a large segment of the Jamboree's overall profit.

Chavez said he works at both beer gardens, the main one in the morning and a smaller one in the afternoon.

"We haven't had any troubles the whole time I've been here," Chavez said. "Our job is to check IDs and to keep an eye on people. If we see someone who has had too much to drink, we tell the bartenders, who cut them off. We have paid security if there is a problem. I work about eight or nine hours a day."

Judy and Bill Markert have headed up the "clean team" since the Jamboree began. The only time their crew members aren't picking up trash is when the lights go out for the nighttime acts.

Judy Markert is excited that the Jamboree will be recycling plastic water bottles this year.

"The SAFE (Senior Alcohol Free Entertainment) kids are going to work recycling stations and encourage patrons to recycle," Markert told her staff of 21 at Monday evening's final volunteer meeting. "They will use the money from the bottles for the graduation night party."

Members of the clean team work from 7 a.m. until after midnight.

Bearded Duwayne Strauser of Albany said he sings a little ditty as he works: "Pickin' up butts, just pickin' up butts." Then he added, with a laugh: "They just seem to multiply."

"Our goal is to keep the site spotless," Markert said.

This will be Jamboree director Peter LaPonte's 11th event, and he predicts Friday night's performance by Tim McGraw "will be the biggest night Sweet Home has ever seen. There's so much excitement. People idolize that guy. When he walks on stage on a perfect summer night, it's going to be electrifying."

More than 12,000 tickets have been sold, LaPonte said, but it's difficult to know if that will translate into record attendance.

"It is difficult to track exact numbers because people come and go from the site," LaPonte said. "We are looking at ways to better track our numbers for next year's show."

LaPonte said as the Jamboree has grown in popularity, so has the number of volunteers needed to make it happen. In past years, the volunteer count was in the 400 range.

"For many years, we tried to keep the volunteer count down," LaPonte said. "But, we found we were under-resourced in a number of areas and now try to make sure we have enough resources, even if that means we're over-booking. We have 5,000 people camping with us and we need volunteer power."

A new 175-space camping site has been added, LaPonte said, bringing the total number of sites to about 1,950. More than 1,800 already are reserved. LaPonte said camping has grown significantly every year for the last five years.

LaPonte said many families are sticking closer to home and looking for greater value from their entertainment dollar due to the economy. The down-home festival feel of the award-winning Jamboree is enticing and affordable, he said.

LaPonte's goal is to sell tickets and to make sure patrons have a positive experience, such as efficient transportation to and from their camp sites.

"We've added a special team this year whose focus is just shuttle egress," LaPonte said. "We want to efficiently move 4,000 people from our site to their campgrounds in minutes."

The 2008 Jamboree turned a profit of $305,000, down about $45,000 from the record set in 2007. The Jamboree is produced by the Sweet Home Economic Development Group Inc., which each year donates 10 percent of net profits to the Sweet Home Community Foundation. LaPonte said that in the last three years those donations have totaled more than $100,000.

This year's Jamboree will feature nearly 30 food vendors, LaPonte said. Offerings will range from barbecue to kettle corn to espresso.

LaPonte is concerned about the possibility of extremely hot weather, both for patrons and volunteers.

"We're keeping a close eye on the heat," LaPonte said. "If it looks like it will be anywhere near 95 degrees, we'll have misters and we'll take cold water into the ticket lineups. We will have cooling stations. It's not just the customers who start to break down, the staff and volunteers do too. When it gets really hot, the plane rattles and the bolts come loose."

Oregon Jamboree History

The first two-day Oregon Jamboree in Sweet Home was held in September 1992 and featured Wynonna Judd, John Anderson, Collin Raye and comedians Williams & Ree.

The event was founded by Marge Geil and Leslie Ancke, members of the Sweet Home Economic Development Group Inc. The community was suffering economically due to a downturn in the timber industry. Mills and logging companies had lost hundreds of jobs, in part due to a reduction in federal timber harvests.

There were numerous empty store fronts in the town's business district.

The two women convinced Judd that a country music festival would help the community earn seed money that could be used for economic development. Judd headlined the 1992 and 1993 shows and since then, some of the top names in country music have appeared at the Jamboree including Reba McIntire, Alan Jackson, Brooks and Dunn, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, among many others.

The two-day event was soon expanded to three days and moved from the fall to late July and early August due to weather concerns.

- Alex Paul, The Entertainer

Check it out

WHO: Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, Montgomery Gentry and others

WHEN: 1:30 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 31; 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1; and 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2.

WHERE: Behind Sweet Home High School, 1641 Long St., Sweet Home.

COST: Three-day general admission, $135; one-day Friday admission, $100; one-day Saturday or Sunday admission, $75; three-day child (ages 7-12) admission, $35; one-day child (ages 7-12) admission, $20; three-day camping fee, $80.

INFO: 888-613-6812 or www.oregonjamboree.com.

Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw has spent the last decade in the upper reaches of the entertainment world, yet, at bottom, McGraw's success hinges on his "everyman" status, his ability to be known as husband and father as well as singer and superstar.

McGraw's latest CD, "Let It Go," was released in March 2007 and debuted at No. 1 on both the pop and country album charts and has now reached platinum selling status, signifying sales of more than 1 million. Overall, he has 30 career No. 1 singles and has sold more than 40 million albums and singles worldwide. His awards to date include three Grammys, 11 Academy of Country Music awards, 11 Country Music Association awards, nine American Music Awards and three People's Choice awards. Hits include "Indian Outlaw," "Don't Take the Girl," "I Like It, I Love It," "Something Like That" and "It's Your Love" (featuring his wife, country singer Faith Hill).

His success has extended to movie screens as well: He played a troubled father in the film "Friday Night Lights."

See him at 9:15 p.m. Friday. More information: www.timmcgraw.com.

LeAnn Rimes

When a performer grows up in the spotlight, it's often hard for public perception to mature along with them. Some people still picture LeAnn Rimes as the pretty teenager with the incredible voice who first burst on the national scene with the hit "Blue." In reality, LeAnn Rimes, now 26, has matured as a songwriter and an actress. She also still has a pretty good voice. Her latest album, 2007's "Family," marked the first time Rimes wrote or co-wrote every song. The ballad "What I Cannot Change," a song about forgiveness and acceptance from the CD, has been picked up as an anthem by many of her fans.

Rimes has won two Grammy Awards, including the first Best New Artist accolade ever won by a country artist. She has sold more than 37 million records, won an American Music Award, three Academy of Country Music honors and 12 Billboard Awards. She's scored numerous hit singles along the way, among them "One Way Ticket," "I Need You," "Nothin' 'Bout Love Makes Sense," "Probably Wouldn't Be This Way," "Can't Fight The Moonlight," a No. 1 song in 11 countries, and "How Do I Live," which was the longest-running single ever on the Billboard Hot 100, spending a record-setting 69 weeks on the chart. Her popularity extends to Europe as well.

See her at 8:45 p.m. Saturday. More information: www.leannrimesworld.com.

Montgomery Gentry

Now in their 10th year on the national stage, Montgomery Gentry can look back on an already impressive legacy. The duo of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry has released more than 20 charted singles, with anthems such as "My Town" and "Hell Yeah" becoming indelible parts of the honky-tonk landscape.

In addition, Montgomery Gentry have hit the top of the singles charts three times, with "If You Ever Stop Loving Me," "Something To Be Proud Of" and 2007's multi-week chart-topper "Lucky Man."

Montgomery Gentry's most recent album is 2008's "Back When I Knew It All," which includes "I Pick My Parties" featuring Toby Keith.

See them at 6:30 p.m Sunday. More information: http://montgomerygentry.com.

Joey and Rory

The married duo, Rory Lee Feek and Joey Martin Feek, came into the country music limelight as finalists on CMT's "Can You Duet." Rory is an established songwriter with cuts including Blake Shelton's "Some Beach," Clay Walker's "The Chain of Love" and Collin Raye's "Someone You Used to Know." After placing third on the show, the two were signed to Vanguard/Sugar Hill records. They released "The Life of a Song" in 2008. The duo are also known for the song "Cheater Cheater."

See them at 7 p.m. Friday. More information: www.joeyandrory.com.

Jake Owen

A college water-skiing accident dashed Jake Owen's dreams of becoming a professional golf player. To pass the time during his recovery he picked up a guitar and taught himself to play. His rich, resonant baritone and good looks soon earned him many fans in the Tallahassee bar scene and as his crowds grew, Owen dropped the cover songs out of his set list and added in his own songs, starting with "It's Been A While" and "8 Second Ride." He decided to leave school just nine credit hours short of his degree and pursue a career in music. After moving to Nashville, he signed with RCA in 2005 and released his debut album, "Startin' with Me," later that year. The album produced three singles including "Something About a Woman," which reached Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His second album is 2009's "Easy Does It," which features the No. 2 single "Don't Think I Can't Love You." Owen has also toured as an opening act for several country acts, including Brad Paisley, Little Big Town and Sugarland.

See him 4:15 p.m. Sunday. More information: www.jakeowen.net.

Heidi Newfield

After a decade of making music with Keith Burns and Ira Dean, Heidi Newfield broke free of country trio Trick Pony in 2006 for a solo career. The singer, rhythm guitarist and harmonica player released her first solo single, "Johnny & June," in 2008. The song, which peaked at No. 11 on the Hot Country Songs charts, is the first release from her debut album, "What Am I Waiting For," which has already produced a second Top 30 country hit, "Cry Cry ('Til the Sun Shines)."

See her at 2 p.m. Saturday. More information: www.heidinewfield.com.

Tracy Lawrence

Tracy Lawrence has a new faith-filled album that was released this spring called "The Rock." With the release of this and 2007's "For the Love," Lawrence demonstrates his love for and appreciation of a classic country sound. Known for hits like "Sticks And Stones," "Alibis," "Texas Tornado," "Time Marches On," "Lessons Learned" and "Paint Me A Birmingham" from a catalog that has produced 16 No. 1 singles and more than 20 Top 10 hits, Lawrence has made a name for himself in his generation of country stars.

See him 6:30 p.m. Saturday. More information: http://tracylawrence.com.

Also playing

• Coyote Creek, 3 p.m. Friday.

• Cloverdale, 5 p.m. Friday

• David Ball, noon Saturday.

• Phil Vassar, 4:15 p.m. Saturday.

• Kristy Lee Cook, noon Sunday.

• Mel Tillis, 2 p.m. Sunday.