The Hills Are Silent Again
By CASEY JUNKINSBruce Waite Sr. and his son, Bruce Waite Jr., were not sure quite what to expect when they left their home in Atlantic City, N.J. to see their first Jamboree In The Hills. But they seem eager to return for a second round of action next year.
"I love everything about this place, man. It is unbelievable and I can't wait to get back here next year," the elder Waite said Sunday, the final day of the 2008 edition of JITH.
Despite a cloudburst that forced most fans and vendors to seek shelter around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, the Waites and thousands of other festival goers turned out to see Mayf Nutter, Keith Anderson, Paul Thorn, Loretta Lynn and Sugarland in performances that went on as scheduled.
A little bit of wind and rain certainly did not dampen the Waites' spirits.
"I'm from the city, and we don't see things like this in the city. I love the music, and the beads are cool, too," the younger Waite said.
"This is God's county," Waite Sr. added.
The Waites' friend, Terri Talbot of Powhatan Point, has attended every JITH since 1990.
"Jamboree is great every year," she said.
Tracy Scholz of Rayland enjoyed JITH for the third consecutive year.
"I really think the entertainment is a lot better this year than last year. Brad Paisley was definitely the best," she said.
Scholz convinced former Rayland resident Cindy Stevens to come all the way from Tucson, Ariz. to see her first JITH.
"I took my vacation to come here for this and I am really enjoying it," Stevens said.
Martins Ferry resident Jason Schaal was attending his sixth Jamboree.
"I'd say this was a pretty good year. Neal McCoy and Rodney Atkins put on some great shows," he said.
Schaal's friend, Amanda Huml of St. Clairsville, also enjoyed Atkins' performance.
"Rodney Atkins was really cool," she said.
Though Sunday Jamboree-goers cooled off with a free shower from the cloudburst, weather on Thursday, Friday and Saturday was mostly hot and humid. Robert Eberhart of the Flushing Volunteer Fire Department said this weather led to some cases of heat exhaustion.
"The medical tent has been pretty full at times with some cases of heat exhaustion and dehydration. There have also been a few sprains and cuts that we have dealt with," he said.
Belmont County Sheriff's Department Capt. Ron Everett said most Jamboree fans were fairly well-behaved this year.
"We had some cases of underage drinking, but fewer than last year. The one thing we did have a lot of this year was thefts with people breaking into campers and taking things," he said.
Everett said the most serious incidents were aggravated assaults, but said there were only a few such cases.
"Overall, crime was pretty low at Jamboree this year," he said, while noting that about 140 law enforcement officers from various agencies worked hard to keep patrons safe during the festival.
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bekbekket
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07-21-08 10:12 AM
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You must live out of town, or in a cave. WV MUST rank very high in obesity among the 57 states.
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spongebob
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07-21-08 6:37 AM
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NEVER SAW SO MANY FAT PEOPLE IN ONE PLACE !
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