In its inaugural year, the Old Washington Music Fest featured big-name performers like Travis Tritt, Confederate Railroad, and The Marshal Tucker Band. But this year?
Bigger. In every way. That’s according to the festival’s founder and promoter Dustin Knowlton.
The Old Washington Music Fest 2025 will return to the Guernsey County Fairgrounds for the third weekend in July, and the lineup is something to behold. Not only will country superstars Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin, Colin Ray, Big & Rich, and David Lee Murphy grace the stage next summer, but Alabama will headline the Saturday evening show.
“Our attendance the first year was about 2,500 and we were very happy with that number,” said Knowlton, a former employee of Jamboree in the Hills. “Everyone had a great time, and that’s why we’re coming back with a vengeance for a second year. We’ll have bigger acts, bigger staging, and a bigger production, and we’re going to have several more vendors, too.
“We learned a lot from last year, but I did like the flow of last year’s shows. We had great weather, and when that’s the case, you don’t have a lot of delays,” he said. “We’ve received a lot of compliments on last year, and some folks said it reminded them of Jamboree before there were 40,000 fans out in the crowd.”
Until March, a weekend pass for the second annual festival is $250, and a weekend camping permit is $250, as well. The price for a one-day pass is $100. Tickets and camping passes can be purchased HERE, or those interested can call 304-233-7000.
“Last year, we had a Wednesday kickoff and we’re working on something like that again, but on Thursday, we’ll have Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin, and Collin Raye, and each of them will have their full bands with them. Plus, we’ll have a tribute band that honors several legends in country music,” Knowlton revealed. “I don’t usually hire tribute bands, but this one is terrific. They’re ‘The Highwaymen,’ and I’m confident people will love them.
“On Friday, we’ve got Big & Rich confirmed as our headliner at 9 p.m., and they’ve been a favorite in country music for a long time,” he said. “We have several great performers leading up the final act that evening, and then we’ll have legendary Alabama for our closer on Saturday evening and David Lee Murphy supporting them.”
More announcements, Knowlton said, will be made in the near future.
“We still have some spots to fill before that July weekend, but as a whole, we think we’ve done well with the lineup. Alabama, Big & Rich, David Lee Murphy, Sammy Kershaw, and several more,” Knowlton said. “And for $250, you get a great few days of country music in a great atmosphere with over 15 acts taking the stage.
“It’s a great price for great shows, and we’re already halfway to sold out on the camping side that we have right now, and that means we should have a great crowd,” he said. “We can host about 8,000 fans in the facility where we’re at now, and I think we have a good chance to sell out considering the performers we’re bringing in. That’s why we’re going bigger with everything for this year’s event.”
Legendary Inspiration
Knowlton feels the same way most country music fans do here in the Upper Ohio Valley.
He, and they, miss Jamboree in the Hills, once known as the “Super Bowl of Country Music” then ended in 2018 following it’s 40th annual weekend.
That’s one of the biggest reasons why Knowlton created the Old Washington Country Music Fest.
“I’m a native of southeast Ohio and I grew up with Jamboree in the Hills, and once that went away, I felt a giant void,” Knowlton said. “And I believe a lot of people felt the same void, and with me already working on country music, I thought it might be the perfect time to kick off another country music festival. It’ll be branded very similarly to the Jamboree because we’re trying to do exactly what they did back in those years.
“I am a promoter in country music, and I’m the youngest independent promoter since I first got involved 10 years ago,” he explained. “I’ve worked with Oak Ridge Boys, Travis Tritt, Ronnie Milsap, and the list goes on and on. And this year, with the lineups we have, I’m excited for country music fans in this region.”
Last year, Knowlton got a late start with advertising and promotion for the inaugural event, but he feels he’s out in front of the event much more this time around.
“We’ve let everyone know there would be a second year, and we’ve released most of our lineup so people would see how serious we are, and now they have time before Christmas to decide to go and get their tickets now on a discount. A weekend pass is $250 right now, but the price will increase by $25 as we get closer to the event,” Knowlton said. “It’s all about that third weekend in July.
“There is an onsite campground at the fairgrounds, and there are other areas for camping and trailers,” he said. “We’re also looking for the owners of local farms to see if they would allow for camping, too. I want people to bring their grills and their coolers and have a blast with us all weekend long.”
Ticket prices do increase to $275 for a weekend pass on March 1st and to $300 on July 1st. Plus, a limited number of onsite camping permits are available for the weekend with 30-amp electric and water hookups for $250. If a camper brings their own generator, the sites are $200 for the weekend and tent camping permits are $125.00 for the festival weekend.
On-site parking for the weekend will be available for $10, and gates will open at 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 16th for camper entry. Each camper will be directed to their site upon arrival on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“I don’t know if this will be successful in the long run like Jamboree was for all those years. I think it’s too early to tell going into our second year, but we’ve invested into our lineup and we’re enhancing a lot of things that’s included in the ticket price,” Knowlton said. “There’s no glass, but the fans can bring into the show whatever their spirit of choice is.
“We’re not trying to make money on alcohol. We’re strictly making our money back from the ticket sales,” he added. “We want to have a lot of fans having a good just like it was Jamboree again, and we’re hoping to increase our camping, too, because the (Guernsey County) fairgrounds offers more space than most fairgrounds do. We’re hoping to see it grow significantly.”
