Tim McGraw to headline first day of Sweet Home's country music festival

SWEET HOME - Visitors to this weekend's 17th annual Oregon Jamboree country music festival in Sweet Home can beat the heat in a "mister tent" at the rear of the festival grounds.

The popular soaking stand used to be set up on the old Sweet Home High School tennis courts, but the removal of those courts last year left no immediate replacement slot.

Even with the mister tent, organizers said, drink lots of water to stay hydrated. Temperatures are still expected to hit the low 90s for concerts on Friday and Saturday.

The gates open for the three-day music festival at 1:30 p.m. Friday, and Coyote Creek takes the stage at 3. Joey + Rory are on at 7 and headliner Tim McGraw at 9:15.

On Saturday, gates open at 10:30 a.m., with David Ball on stage at noon, Heidi Newfield at 2 p.m., Phil Vassar at 4:15, Tracy Lawrence at 6:30 and LeAnn Rimes at 8:45.

Gates open at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, and the first concert is Kristy Lee Cook at noon. Mel Tillis follows at 2 p.m., Jake Owen at 4:15 and Montgomery Gentry at 6:30.

Reserved VIP seating is sold out, but three-day general admission passes are still available, as are a limited number of one-day Friday general admission tickets, and one-day Saturday and Sunday tickets.

The Jamboree is sponsored by the nonprofit Sweet Home Economic Development Group, which puts 10 percent of the net profits into the Sweet Home Community Foundation. The foundation in turn provides grants for local organizations.

For tickets or more information, see the event's website at www.oregonjamboree.com.