Three-day music fest brought Travis Tritt, Hunter Hayes and more to the area
OLD WASHINGTON ? Bringing back memories of the long gone Jamboree in the Hills, the Old Washington Music Festival took over the fairgrounds bringing big names and crowds to Guernsey County.
The three-day event was held by promotion company BigTime Entertainment at the Guernsey County Fairgrounds. Campers at the festival arrived Wednesday and were treated to a pre-event concert by Confederate Railroad.
Jamboree in the Hills brought more than 200,000 fans to Belmont for more than four decades. It ended in 2018. But the inaugural Old Washington Music Fest had no problem drawing a large crowd, which seemed to grow every night as the festival progressed. Keeping folks entertained between sets, donning Meadowbrook Colts gear and acting as emcee for the festival was Big Willie of Big Willie 105.5, a classic country radio station based out of Wheeling, West Virginia.
Numerous local food vendors were on site, providing food and drink. The Frizzle, Spud Muffin, Colvin's All American Lemonade, and of course SlumDogs were just a few who set up shop.
Travis Tritt was the Thursday night headliner and brought the rowdy crowd to their feet singing various fan favorites and new music. Friday brought Ohio Valley talent to the stage with Hoard & Jones and saw the lineup change slightly, as headliner Craig Morgan had to cancel his set at the festival. Morgan was stuck in Alaska due to the Crowdstrike issue and could not get a flight out. He addressed festival attendees via a Facebook video apologizing for the situation.
The War Hippies, composed of Scooter Brown and Donnie Reis, performed earlier in the day without the help of their drummer, who was also stuck in Colorado. Both Brown and Reis are veterans and thanked those in the crowd who have served or have family who have served in the military.
The Marshall Tucker Band closed out the show Friday evening with a flute-heavy, jam-band performance to remember.
While the heat beat down, the cold beverages never stopped flowing. Attendees were in good spirits and many commented on how excited they were to see how much the festival could grow. Promotions company BigTime Entertainment founder Dustin Knowlton handled the lineup changes and any issues that came his way smoothly and with a smile on his face. He could be found roaming the grounds at any point over the weekend, helping vendors and adjusting the crowd set up as needed to keep attendees happy.
Saturday afternoon the crowd grew early in preparation for the day's lineup. LandRey, Buddy Jewell and Marietta native Jake Binegar fought the midday heat to perform for the crowd. Adam Doleac was yet another performer slated to show who was affected by the airline issues and couldn't make it. Nineteen-year-old American Idol alum Colin Stough brought big energy to the stage early in the day and then signed autographs and shook hands afterward.
While the majority of the crowd was relatively local, two concertgoers traveled from the south of France to see their friend Buddy Jewell perform. Lucien and Marie-Claude Gil cheerfully chatted with guests and performers, enjoying their time in Southeastern Ohio.
The event finished strong with a performance by LANCO. Lead singer Brandon Lancaster commented on how he felt he was missing out on the party, so he hopped off the stage and joined the crowd. To the delight of everyone, the rest of the band followed as they performed amid festival attendees.
Hunter Hayes closed out the night.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Old Washington Music Fest caps off inaugural year
