For one night only!

Local music lovers will have an opportunity to attend a Reilly Springs Jamboree in Sulphur Springs, when organizers bring the show to Heritage Park Saturday, June 15.

The recently opened Winni-ford House multi-purpose facility is a long-awaited modern addition to the 11-acre living history park. Winniford House can be reserved for indoor events, such as the Reilly Springs Jamboree, which brings a chunk of history all its own.

Jamboree co-producers Enola Gay Mathews and Roger Reed share a desire to preserve traditional country music for future generations by keeping live performances available, accessible and affordable. At their home venue, the Reilly Springs Community Center/ Schoolhouse, shows are held on the third Saturday night of each month.

Local talent and up-and-coming artists from Northeast Texas are featured monthly. Country and gospel entertainment is offered in a family-friendly atmosphere.

“This kind of stage show has become almost a thing of the past now, but for fans who come out to our shows, it’s truly like walking into a page of history,” Matthews said. “You can view walls of memorabilia from the old Reilly Springs farming community displayed alongside photos of early country music artists who sang there.

“Little known fact: Reilly Springs actually boasted the first record shop in Hopkins County!” she added. “I got involved with producing the show in 1995 because I wanted to keep it alive. The band decided we’d like to bring a summer show to our neighbors in town, because Sulphur Springs is growing and newcomers might not otherwise know about us. Two evening shows are planned to accommodate everybody. Indeed, everyone who attends is doing a little part to help preserve the musical tradition.”

On Saturday, people can attend the Reilly Springs Jamboree’s 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. show in the cool comfort of the brand-new Winniford House facility inside Heritage Park, 416 Jackson St. Advance tickets are being offered to both and a full house is expected.

In addition to bandleader Roger Reed, lead guitarist is Gary Jones (former Ray Price band member), drummer is Bill Langley (drummer for ScatterproofBand with Hanah and Hailee) and Louie Chambers on keyboard, who brings a background with Western Swing bands.

On the guest list is Sony recording artist Don Woods Jr., who makes his home at Yantis and bluegrass instrumentalist Bob Haydon of Winnsboro, who as a teen formed a band with Steve Miller and Boz Skaggs. Local entertainer Mike Shing will join Matthews with “Sentimental Journey” and as emcee.

Reserved seat tickets are $10 each in advance and will be available at the door. Children 10 and under get in free. Concessions and desserts will be available for purchase and door prizes will be drawn. For information, see the Reilly Springs Jamboree on Face-book, email enolagay.mathews@gmail.com or reeds bookings@aol.com or call 903-438-3568 or 903-348-7114.

“I am anxious to let town people know we are bringing the show to them — actually, two shows on same night,” Matthews stated in an email to the News-Telegram. “Anyone who attends will get way more entertainment than their $10 worth!”

In the 1950s and early ’60s, country music had come into its own, and live concerts and dances had become popular all across the United States. In Texas, Saturday night hoedowns and even square dances were welcoming places to socialize and have fun. In Hopkins County, the place to go was the Reilly Springs Jamboree, not only for the live honky-tonk and hillbilly music performed onstage by local talent and the famous homemade desserts from the kitchen, but to see and even meet the major recording stars of the era.

A little off the beaten path? Well, yes, by about 10 miles. But that never seemed to stop the capacity crowds flocking to the show from far and near during the era before televisions began to capture America’s attention.

Today, the Jamboree is still off the beaten path, traditionally held in the old Reilly Springs schoolhouse/community center just off FM 1567 east, right next to the Reilly Springs churches and cemetery in the southeastern part of the county. There, the love for country music still holds strong, and fans still come to hear live country music on the third Saturday night of each month.

The show’s founders were Reilly Springs natives Bob and Joe (Attlesey) Shelton. The brothers were songwriting musicians who by 1950 had already secured a measure of recognition through Shreveport’s KWKH, studio recordings, early Dallas television programming and appearances on the Louisiana Hayride. But between gigs, their headquarters was still the family home in Hopkins County.

During the autumn of 1956, just after the country school district elected to consolidate with Sulphur Springs, the brothers gave the empty schoolhouse a new life. They began to hold Saturday night shows and soon had their Nashville connections on the appearance schedule. Johnny Cash, Ernest Tubb, June Carter, Johnny Horton, David Houston and Hank Locklin were among the young-and-newly-famous who trod the stage and entertained the audiences.

Appearances were documented by photos and autographs collected by teen musician Francelle Lawrence Burnett. With the urging of band member “Meatball” Meeks and KSST Radio staffers Peavine Pinion and Lou Erck, the show also “went on the air” on local radio on Saturday nights, widening its reach and making it a household word. The show was further promoted during early morning broadcasts from the Reilly Springs store.