Hamer Hooper, 15, of McConnellsville, Ohio, is set to perform during the Ohio Valley Jamboree on Saturday at the former West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville. (Photo Provided)

A new music festival — Ohio Valley Jamboree — is slated to host its inaugural concert on Saturday at the former West Virginia Penitentiary.

Organized by Wheeling resident Kirby Pringle, the festival will feature five bands playing rockabilly, traditional honky-tonk and bluegrass. The festival’s master of ceremonies will be Slim Forsythe of Pennsylvania.

Pringle, a native of Los Angeles, California, said he moved to Wheeling after learning about its history with music while attending an international country music conference.

“It was the largest market for country music for decades,” he said.

Pringle and his partner, Bitten Heine, decided to buy a home in Wheeling and set up their film and music company in the city.

“We believed a jamboree similar to what was here in the Ohio Valley with Jamboree USA would go over well with the people here,” Pringle said.

Doors to the festival open at 2 p.m. and the bands will play from 4-9 p.m. A free dance lesson will be offered starting at 3 p.m.

Tickets can also be bought in advance at https://www.ohiovalleyjamboree.com/contact.

Musicians slated to perform include the Honkytonk Wranglers of Kentucky; Vaden Landers of Johnson City, Tennessee; Ryan Cain of Clarksburg; and Slim Forsythe of Pittsburgh.

And a new young performer is slated to play a few songs, Hamer Hooper, 15, of McConnellsville, Ohio.

The festival will feature vendors selling plant-based dishes: Monster Baby Donuts of Columbus, Ohio; El Chucho of Pittsburgh; Midge’s Kitchen of Wheeling; Hummus of Pittsburgh; Thee Burger Dude of Los Angeles; Nelly’s Fruit Stand of Moundsville and more.

Pringle said in the future he may continue to hold the jamboree in Moundsville or host it at different locations across the Ohio Valley.

The Ohio Valley Jamboree is sponsored by Warwood Tool of Wheeling.

Pringle said he is also working on another business venture for Moundsville; he plans to open a vintage honky-tonk bar, the Quadrille, sometime in December at the former Moose Lodge building, 233 Jefferson Ave.