By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.—The Tennessee River Jam is back! And it’s back in a BIG way.
The Oak Ridge Boys, Diamond Rio and Darryl Worley will headline the four-day music festival in Paris, with the Oak Ridge Boys set to perform a free concert in downtown Paris.
The festival, set for June 17-20, will feature 27 artists, 15 concerts at eight venues and Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce CEO Travis McLeese said it promises something for everyone.
The Oak Ridge Boys will kick off the event with a free concert Thursday night, June 17. In addition to the golden sounds of The Oak Ridge Boys, food will be available from Perry’s, Sweet Jordan’s, and Aces Pizza. Evie Grace will open for The Oak Ridge Boys. “That’s going to be a great event, a lot of fun and a great opportunity for people to come downtown,” McLeese said.
Also on Thursday night, Randall French will perform at The Breakers and Josh McKee will perform at Blues Landing. Those events will also be free.
Diamond Rio, Darryl Worley, Johnny Mac and 24 Seven will perform at Paris Landing State Park Saturday at 4 p.m. Tickets for that event will be $25 general admission and $75 for VIP.
Other venues throughout the festival include Paris Landing State Park, Blues Landing, Ace’s Restaurant, LL’s Bar and Grill, The Eiffel Tower Park, Marker 66 and the best view on the water—The Breakers Resort and Marina.
Other artists include The Paula Bridges Band, Ethan Torsak, the Ray Lewis, Mark Nessler, Lance Miller, Sydney Mack, Chandler Stephens, Levon, Matt Boone, Hotwired, Leight July, Candi Wilette, The After Dark Band featuring Nikki Bobo, Britnee Kellogg, The Trace, and Bethel University Alumni Mandi Thomas, James Mays and Cherry Avenue.
The festival is presented by Trolinger’s BBQ, the Chamber, The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Crove Media, the Henry County Tourism Authority and Forever Communications.
Friday’s concerts will begin with Ethan Torsak and the Ray Lewis Band at Ace’s Restaurant at 11 a.m.; followed by the Paula Bridges Band at Eiffel Tower Park at 7 p.m.; Songwriters Mark Nesler, Lance Miller, Sydney Mack, Chandler Stephens at Blues Landing at 7:30 p.m.; and Levon at The Breakers at 9 p.m. All are free except Levon which will have a $10 cover.
Saturday will find Matt Boone performing at The Breakers at 2 p.m. (free); Diamond Rio and Darryl Worley with Johnny Mac and 24 Seven at Paris Landing State Park ($25 general admission and $75 VIP); Hotwired and Leight July will be at Blues Landing at 7 p.m. (free); The After Dark Band and Nikki Bobo will be at The Breakers at 8 p.m. ($10 cover); Candi Wilette will be at LL’s at 9 p.m. ($15 cover).
Sunday will be Britnee Kellogg at 11 a.m. at Marker 66; The Trace at The Breakers at 4 p.m.; and Bethel Alumni at 5 p.m. at Blues Landing. All Sunday performances are free.
Tickets are on sale now at TNRiverJam.com. You can also find a lot of information on the festival and the performers at the website.
Last year’s event–along with Froggy Fest–was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the press conference this morning to announce the festival and its line-up, Chamber President Michele Atkins said, “We know impact these kind of events have on Henry County and we’re happy to present this to everyone.”
County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway said, “I’m really excited about this. Music is a huge part of Henry County’s background.” Ridgeway said, “There’s been a lot of work gone on behind scenes to get where we are today and I want to say thank you to all the sponsors who are making this possible. And the weather is going to be perfect.”
McLeese said, “It’s humbling to be sitting here looking into the eyes of so many people who have come together to make this happen–board members, staff, partners, venue hosts, people who have invested time and money to this. Thank you for trusting us with this.”
Tourism Vice President Michael Trolinger said, “As music lover and former Henry County High School Madrigals, our family and business is really proud to be a sponsor for this. This is just an amazing opportunity.”
McLeese noted that Tennessee River Jam has grown significantly and it will provide many ways for the public to experience Henry County. “We look forward to welcoming people from all over the country to this event,” he said.
McLeese said with ongoing CDC guidelines, the capacity for the Saturday concert at Paris Landing State Park will be limited to 3,000 people. Ridgeway asked Henry Countians to continue receiving their COVID vaccines to ensure public safety at the event.
Photo: Making the announcement this morning, from left, Chamber President Michele Atkins, Tourism VP Michael Trolinger, Chamber CEO Travis McLeese, and Henry County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway. (Shannon McFarlin photo).