Held at Pioneer Park, it would take place a month before Sweet Home's Oregon Jamboree

By Ellen Ast

Albany Democrat-Herald

Oregon Jamboree organizers have some concerns about a new, three-day country music festival in Brownsville scheduled a little more than a month before next summer's Jamboree.

The Willamette Country Music Festival will be the first private, for-profit event held at Brownsville's Pioneer Park. Organizer Warren Williamson said he hopes to draw about 4,000 spectators to the outdoor concerts, set for June 27-29.

"I'm not sure the market can support two of these concerts," said Jamboree Director Peter Laponte. He said that, at this point, the Jamboree is just curious about the festival.

"Our group is protective of what we've built," he said.

Williamson asked the city council in July for permission to hold the festival at the park. His proposal calls for overnight RV and tent camping; food, drink and clothing vendors; and shuttles to and from the entrance.

Three hundred of the $150, three-day VIP tickets sold in two weeks after sales opened in August, Williamson said.

A Los Angeles native and 1975 graduate of Central Linn High School, Williamson, who lives in Brownsville, said the festival will be an economic boost for his town, as the Jamboree has been for neighboring Sweet Home.

He said he is not trying to compete with the Jamboree, scheduled for Aug. 1-3, which since 1992 has been a major destination for country music fans and headline performers.

The son of a longtime film producer, Williamson has built his career in the entertainment business. He worked at KMTR Eugene, where he met Laponte while covering the Jamboree, and at an NBC station in Anchorage, Alaska, last year.

After launching a nationally syndicated television series called "Backstage Pass" that mostly features entertainment industry news, Williamson made friends in the Nashville country music scene, he decided to organize a country music festival in Brownsville.

"I want to do something for the town I'm extremely fond of, and so I decided to use my entertainment industry background," Williamson said.

The city council in August granted Williamson permission to use the southeast end of the 26-acre park as long as he fences off the concert area and accommodates other activities planned at the park.

He plans to donate revenue to Central Linn schools and hold food and clothing drives for Sharing Hands, which assists needy families.

Brownsville Mayor Don Ware and Councilor Mandy Cole voted against Williamson's proposal. City Manager Scott McDowell said some who attended public meetings when the council discussed the concert opposed it because of crowds and a shift from traditional open, public events held at the park.