The Hampton Old Time Country Hoedown is set to begin its 14th year of music and tradition Monday, January 5th at the historic Windsor Theatre.
For more than a decade, the Hoedown has been a welcoming gathering place for musicians and music lovers alike. The event is an open music jam, inviting performers of all skill levels to take part, while audience members can enjoy an evening of old-time country, bluegrass and Gospel music. Event organizer Don Wrolson says the Hoedown has come a long way since its humble beginnings, growing from a small gathering of musicians into a popular monthly event, made possible through a shared effort with his wife, Judy, who is also involved in organizing the event.
“Some friends of mine had something similar going on over in the Dows area and different places in Iowa. It would be great to have something right here in Hampton, Iowa. So I actually started something. My wife had a store downtown. You know, we got three or four musicians and a couple of our wives and that was it. Judy (Wrolson) and Jim Davies and the mayor at that time, Brook Boehmler, started talking about having it at the historic Windsor Theater. And the next thing I know, we had our very first one at the Windsor Theater on January 7th of 2013 and it’s still going on today.”
Wrolson says the Hoedown draws a wide variety of musicians, from small-town Iowa to out-of-state performers.
“We’ve had people from Wisconsin and Minnesota and Missouri. Closer, we have (people from the) Dumont area, Charles City, and more than you can name. And the audience is about the same. They’re not all from Hampton. They’re from all over. We typically have between 15 and 20 musicians. We’ve had up to 35, which was actually too many for the stage, but we managed. We typically have about 80 to 100 people that are in the audience. Everybody seems to be having a great time, both musicians and audience members.”
Admission to the Hoedown is free, with a free-will donation accepted. All proceeds go toward supporting the Windsor Theatre. Concessions will be available.
Photos, videos and updates can be found on the Hampton Old Time Country Hoedown Facebook page. For additional information, you can contact Don Wrolson at 641-425-0909.
Photo courtesy of the Hampton Old Time Country Hoedown Facebook page taken during November’s performance
