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Cooler Heads Prevail At Jamboree In The Hills in Belmont County

Changes scrapped after fan outrage

File photo by Scott McCloskey Shawn Clifford of Bellaire pulls a homemade truck cooler for friends during a past Jamboree In The Hills.

MORRISTOWN — After a firestorm of complaints from angry fans, Jamboree In The Hills will be returning to its original format next year.

That means it will once again be a four-day festival — July 13-16 — and coolers and beer will be allowed inside the venue.

Earlier this week, Live Nation announced the festival’s name had changed to “Jambo Country,” and that people would no longer be allowed to bring coolers inside, among other changes. The morning fan run each morning at the festival site will continue to be known as the “Redneck Run.”

Jamboree fans were livid and thousands vowed to boycott the event when the changes were announced. One Wheeling resident, Raymond Duane, started a Facebook page urging people to boycott the festival. It garnered several thousand members but appeared to have been taken down by Friday evening.

“Jamboree fans have spoken and we listened,” General Manager Kelly Tucker-Jones said in a statement released on the event’s website. “After previously announcing changes to the festival’s format and carefully listening to the fans’ feedback we are returning to our roots. The people have spoken. In 2017 we will continue with the beloved name of Jamboree In The Hills and (have) all four days. Jambo fans are some of the most loyal and fun loving music fans in the country, we want to make sure they have a terrific time at the festival and come back year after year.”

In changing the rules about coolers and outside beverages, Jamboree In The Hills officials had cited safety concerns regarding over-consumption of alcohol.

“In order to address our safety concerns we are adding additional security, alcohol compliance programs and enhanced campground safety measures,” Tucker-Jones said.

As in years past, no liquor or glass bottles will be allowed inside the festival venue.

Duane — a longtime JITH fan who said he’s been dubbed by his friends the “mayor of campground E” — said those who love the event took the changes personally. He said he hoped the boycott effort would convince Live Nation to reverse the decision.

Earlier this week, Belmont County Commissioner Matt Coffland also protested the changes publicly, by wearing a cowboy hat and hauling a cooler into the county commission meeting Wednesday. He had feared the changes would hurt local businesses who depend on JITH fans for a large portion of their sales during that time of the year.

Coffland also noted that taxes from alcohol sales fund JobsOhio, the state’s public-private economic development arm. Recently, $17 million of that funding was allocated for site remediation efforts for a planned ethane cracker near Dilles Bottom.

The one-day sale of four-day passes to Jamboree In The Hills is set for Dec. 15.

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