Country Fest grows from humble beginnings to 25,000 fans and major headliner Morgan Wallen
LAWRENCE TWP. – Memories come quickly for Aaron J. Green and Joel Beichler when asked about the early days of Country Fest.
Walking the grounds last week at Clay's Resort Jellystone Park, Green stood less than a football field's length from a massive stage, recalling the meager start to ticket sales about 13 years ago.
"We'd be happy if we sold five tickets a day," he said, sharing laughter with Beichler. The longtime pals co-founded the event as a pipe dream and way to secure steadier and more satisfying employment.
Green had graduated from the University of Akron and was working at Smith's dairy in Orrville while trying to launch the inaugural festival in 2010.
Manning the milk jug machine, Green's cellphone rested atop a printer, dinging every time a ticket was sold. Dings didn't come often at first, he said, chuckling again.
Beichler's house was the base of operations.
"I sat in my living room and mailed every single wristband and licked the envelope," he recounted fondly.
But those times are a footnote in the rich history of a four-day music festival that attracts top-tier country music talent, including this year's hottest act Morgan Wallen, who will headline and close out the extravaganza on Saturday.
A few thousand tickets were sold online within minutes on the first day Country Fest went on sale this year. Traffic was so heavy it caused the ticket site to crash; sales were postponed until the next day, Green said.
And fans say this year's lineup is a stellar one. Wallen is the top touring act in all of music at the moment, Green said.
In 2021, he was set to perform at Country Fest, but after a video surfaced of him making a racial slur, Wallen faced backlash. Wallen's recording contract had been suspended and some radio stations stopped playing his music.
But after an apology, and meeting with minorities, Wallen, a Billboard country chart topping artist, is back.
"Everyone deserves a second chance," Green said. "And we honored our commitment to having Morgan at our festival."
Wallen has performed at Country Fest in the past. "He's the first sold-out show we ever had," Green said. "And we can't be more excited."
Granger Smith and Kameron Marlowe perform Wednesday night — what Green considers a bonus day. Thursday is the first full day of music, continuing through Saturday, with four artists each day.
Ticket sales are near capacity for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday is a sellout. Around 26,000 fans — what's believed to be a record attendance — could show up for a single day, according to festival organizers.
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Other notable performers are Jason Aldean and Brantley Gilbert. Artists also include include Gabby Barrett, Chase Rice, HARDY, LANCO, Elvie Shane and Lily Rose.
To purchase any remaining tickets and for a full lineup and schedule, go to www.thecountryfest.com/schedule. No tickets will be sold at the gate.
Annette Correll, 52, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, confirmed that Wallen is a red hot ticket. Perusing the comments section of the Country Fest Facebook page is more proof — many fans are seeking Saturday tickets.
Correll has been a country music lover since the early '90s. She recently went to a George Strait concert in Las Vegas. A Kenny Chesney show was more recent. She's been to 13 Jason Aldean concerts.
"The lineup this year is amazing," she said. "It's pretty sure all of my favorites. I was scheduled to go two years ago, and that didn't work out, so this year I'm getting back to the concerts.
"I've been trying around here to get one Morgan Wallen ticket," Correll said. "And one Morgan Wallen ticket out here actually within four different venues in the tri-state area (costs) more than three days of festival camping at (Country Fest)."
Country Fest: Two dudes with a country music dream
Green and Beichler, both Orrville High School graduates, don't act like music festival executives who have hung out with superstars like Luke Combs and legends such as Dierks Bentley. And many others — Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett, The Band Perry, Trace Adkins, Eric Paslay, Eric Church and Brantley Gilbert.
Whether it's preparing the Clay's Resort site or stopping into the Country Fest headquarters, the duo appears most comfortable wearing ball caps, T-shirts and jeans.
Country Fest offices are modern and spacious but not lavish.
An opened bag of Gold'n Krisp potato chips was on a conference table. Massillon-based Gold'n Krisp is among scores of festival sponsors, including Monster Energy, Circle K and Spectrum Orthopaedics.
Mostly, it was "organized chaos," Beichler said, which seemed just fine with both men.
A small group of employees were working feverishly in a large room. Autographed guitars hung on the wall. Another section was decorated with the original Country Fest logo; at the other end was a sprawling photo of an early Country Fest show, fans swarming the stage.
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During a conversation, Green and Beichler said they still have "pinch me" moments when they marvel at how the event has grown and maintained its popularity.
"We're pretty normal guys," Green said. "What we built is not normal."
Green originally had pitched the music festival idea while hanging out on Beichler's porch after he showed up on inline skates. Another business proposal was a milk-based energy drink.
More than a decade later, they still keep the show running amid a flurry of questions from ticketholders about camping rules, prices and tiers, online ticket sales and many other issues.
"We're probably one of the largest privately-owned country music festivals," Green said, noting Country Fest is committed to the Clay's Resort Jellystone Park site through 2025, "and we're working on a long-term extension."
The staff has grown since the early days, but is still less than 10. Positions include a director of corporate sales and a director of development. About 600 volunteers come back to help out every summer, including family members and the children of Beichler and Green.
After 13 years, the partners have lots of stories, including when Green was in charge of unplugging the toilet in a trailer for the musical talent following a power outage.
Beichler remembers pushing cars out of the muddy parking lot following rain.
"We would do anything and everything basically," Green said. "When you want to run a good festival, you have to do the things that no one wants to do.
"We have a good brand here because we have a good fan base, and we just run a really tight production ship."
Out of 25,000 people a night, there were a total of 18 arrests at last summer's Country Fest
Lawrence Township Police Chief Dave Brown admits it's a challenge to funnel thousands of vehicles and fans into Clay's Resort.
But all things considered, the event runs smoothly. And he commended Beichler and Green for meeting with law enforcement, the fire department, health officials and security to review plans. The festival co-owners are always open to suggestions, Brown said.
"They're involved in every aspect of the planning," the chief said.
"We've been doing it long enough, and every year, they do things to make improvements," Brown said. "It is a well-oiled machine. Everyone there ... kind of knows what their job is, and what their place is, and you have a good event."
Traffic gets heavy as early as 10 a.m., depending on the artist, he said.
For Luke Combs' show last year, traffic was backed up close to two miles, until 5 or 6 p.m., from state Route 21 to Clay's Resort Jellystone Park (12951 Patterson St. NW), Brown recalled.
"And this year with Morgan Wallen being there, we're going to have traffic coming there probably from 10 am. to 8 p.m.," he said.
The 11-officer township department will receive support from police in Canal Fulton, Brewster, Massillon, Navarre, Minerva and Uniontown, as well as the Stark County Sheriff's Department, Brown said.
A total of 20 acres has been purchased and leased for additional parking, Green said. A new paved road was added for $50,000. A small bridge was added to improve pedestrian flow in and out of the concert grounds.
Country Fest joins thousands of people together for a giant party. With alcohol involved, there's bound to be a few problems, Brown admitted.
A total of 18 arrests were made at last summer's festival, including for theft of services (sneaking into the venue) and disorderly conduct by fighting. Nobody was seriously injured, the chief said.
"That many people in one event, 25,000 a night, you're going to have a small percentage that gets out of hand," Brown said.
Thomas Rhett tried out his new bow behind the Lawrence Township police department
Brown, meanwhile, said it's fun for the community to host some of country music's biggest names.
At one Country Fest, Thomas Rhett was eager to try out his new compound bow. The chief invited him to a small field behind the police department, where Rhett, his security and some other officers gathered while the musician enjoyed target practice for about 30 minutes.
Country music artists also have been spotted in the Canal Fulton and Orrville areas.
"Most of these stars, they are normal people, and they act like normal people," Brown said. "Some stay in their trailers and have things to do. The ones that come out, they're more than happy to have a conversation with you."
"You think because of the aura of who they are, they would be different," he added. "But they are down-to-earth and easy to get along with."
'Those three or four days we all come together. There's no politics. Everybody is on the same page.'
Correll said Country Fest brings peace to the world.
"From a fan's aspect, I will tell you this," she said by phone a day before she was departing for Stark County early Wednesday morning. "When you are in a crowd thousands deep like we will be for Country Fest, that is how we live.
"Those songs, those artists, those lyrics. Those three or four days we all come together. There's no politics. Everybody is on the same page. We're doing the same thing. We're feeling the same things, and it's just like one big family, and that's why I do it."
Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and [email protected]
On Twitter @ebalintREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Country Fest ready to roll in Stark with Morgan Wallen, Jason Aldean
