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Jamboree still a summer tradition

We’re not sure that many of the people who attended the first Jamorbee in the Hills event in 1977 would have ever imagined how the event has grown.

From those humble beginnings at Brush Run Park along Airport Road west of St. Clairsville, the annual outdoor music festival has changed many times. Originally a two-day event, Jamboree in the Hills has expanded significantly during the last 40 years, moving to a new home along U.S. Route 40 east of Morristown in Belmont County in 1990. Now a four-day event, the festival annually attracts more than 100,000 fans from across the United States, Canada and other parts of the world.

It’s a can’t-miss date on the calendars of many music fans, which is good for businesses across the Tri-State Area. Jamboree in the Hills provides an always-welcome economic boost, driving increased business to area hotels and restaurants as well as gasoline stations, convenience stores, department stores and camping areas.

Those are important considerations, but it’s the music that has made Jamboree in the Hills a success, with the acts changing as country music has evolved. The lineup in 1977, for instance, included music icon Johnny Cash, as well as Merle Haggard, Barbara Mandrell, Tom T. Hall and the Blue Ridge Quartet. This lineup for this year’s event, which gets under way Thursday, includes local favorite Joe Zelek, Trace Adkins, Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Neal McCoy and Brad Paisley.

If fans can’t wait for the entertainment to begin, a free pre-party, featuring the music of Phil Vassar, will be held this evening.

There’s been much change in the music industry during the last 40 years, and many other outdoor country music festivals have come and gone during that period. Jamboree in the Hills, meanwhile, has been a constant, providing fans with the best performers representing the country genre (and others – the lineup has included such diverse acts as the Beach Boys and ZZ TOP) while becoming a summer tradition.

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