The 2^nd Annual Hamler Country Fest will take place on June 4^th and 5^th in 2010.

A new, non-profit organization was formed to put on the fest every year. This new organization was named the “Hamler Country Fest”. This is a separate organization from the Hamler Summerfest and the Hamler Community Park but all three of these organizations have the same goals. As with the Hamler Summerfest, all workers for the Country Fest are non-paid volunteers that want to have a good time while supporting their local community. All proceeds from the Hamler Country Fest will be donated to the Park which helps out with a lot of local programs for the kids and schools. If you’re really into having a good time and supporting local charities, the Hamler Country Fest is the place for you!!!

On Friday the gates will open at 5pm. One of our local talents “The Big Chuck Show” will entertain the crowd as they set up their lawn chairs for the night’s entertainment.

Following Big Chuck, Jay Taylor is scheduled to hit the stage at 7pm. Jay is an up and coming Nashville Star who has really been making quite a name for himself lately. We are really looking forward to Jay singing his big hit “Country Inside of Me” off of his “Plain and Simple” album.

Brightening up the stage after Jay at 9pm will be Katie Armiger. 18 year old Katie is another hot young artist. Her latest hit “Kiss Me Now” was ranked #35 in the country on Music Row’s Spin Charts. These charts track the number of times that radio stations throughout the country play a song. Years from now we will all be looking back when Katie has hit it big and saying “We saw Katie when she was just starting out at the Hamler Country Fest, and look at her now!!!!”

Closing the show on Friday, starting at 11pm, will be Tony Rio. We all remember Tony from last year. WOW is all that I can say! I’ve never seen anybody, even come close to Tony when it comes to electricity and excitement up on a stage. Nobody will still be in their seats by the end of Tony’s performance. Tony by himself would be well worth the price of admission, let alone the other two up and coming Stars on Friday night.

Saturday will be a full day packed with non-stop action. Gates will open at Noon on Saturday and will be open until 1am.

Starting at 12:30pm the Battle of the Bands will kick off. Six of the best local country bands will vie for prize money. There will be a panel of judges along with “Fan Vote” containers set out. Fans can vote for $1 in their favorite bands container. All of the dollar vote money raised will be donated to the local Red Cross. We will also have local talent Kyle Rettig entertain the crowd while the voting is counted. To register a band, please call Rob Panning at 419-966-5682.

At 1pm the Corn Hole Tournament will get under way. There will be at least one, if not more, 8 team tournaments going on with a 50% prize money split!

The main show will start at 7pm with The Dirt Drifters. These five guys are a really good band out of Nashville. They will be in the studio finishing up their new album until the end of May and then they will hit the road to promote it. Hamler will be one of their first stops where people can listen to their new music.

Following the Dirt Drifters will be Riverbilly at 9pm.  Riverbilly has one of the greatest Country music Videos I’ve ever seen on CMT. Check it out on their website; I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of it. They also have a couple of really good new songs out called “I like It Like That” and “Down Here”. Later on in the year you will be able to check out Riverbilly again at the Defiance County Fair. This band is a really big hit that I can’t wait to see.

Headlining the show on Saturday night will be the LoCash Cowboys starting at 11pm. Just this week, LoCash’s new hit song “Here Comes Summer” had the highest rated “Spin Power” out of any band in the country, from Music Row. This means that their song moved up the charts more than any other song last week. Preston and Chris from LoCash will really get the place a movin’ with their high energy music on Saturday night!

Tickets can be purchased at www.TicketWeb.com Ticket prices are a little bit lower than last year too. Admission is just $15/day or $25/2 day ($30/2day at the gate). Camping is just $40 for the whole weekend plus each camp site has to purchase two 2-day tickets for a grand total of $90 ($100 at the gate). You can’t get a better deal than this anywhere out there! A whole weekend of entertainment for under 100 bucks!

Come rain or shine! The entire event is under a roof almost as big as a football field so even a little rain won’t dampen the spirits at the Country Fest!

Bring your own lawn chairs. There is no reserved seating so please bring your own lawn chairs. The early birds will get to sit closest to the stage.

No Carry Ins Please. There will be plenty of great food, beer, and sodas available at the fest. This year’s beer sponsor is Coors Light, so come on out for a taste of the Rockies and some great Country Music!!!

  For years and years the Summerfest has been dreaming about getting one of the premier Polka Maestros, Walt Groller to play at their event. Walt only plays a very limited schedule now a days. The limited time available, plus the high cost (he is one of the best) has always prevented Walt and the Summerfest from getting together. Well all of that has changed for this year. The Ohio Polka Boosters have stepped up to the plate and have co-sponsored Walt so they were able to have his band at Summerfest this year. This was really big news at the Summerfest! After receiving this generous offer, the Hamler Summerfest has booked Walt Groller to play on both Saturday and Sunday! At last their dreams have been realized, all with the help of the Ohio Polka Boosters! So next time you run across one of the Boosters, reach out and give them a big hand shake, and thank them for helping to get the best line up possible for the 42^nd annual Hamler Summerfest! 

The 2010 Hamler Summerfest will kick off on Thursday night, July 22^nd, with a free Interdenominational Church Service at 8:00. Everyone will get to hear a lot of the local pastors and preachers try to send them down the right path. All proceed from the service will go to the local Shalom Food Pantry to help feed the needy.

            On Friday, music will play from 5pm-Midnight. Three great bands will alternate throughout the night!

The Party Time Reunion Band from Oakwood Ohio will get the event started. I’m sure that most of you remember how great the Party Time Band was from years past.

Polka Hall of Famer Hank Haller, from Westlake Ohio, will take the stage next. Hank is one of our living legends in Polka music and has been Oom-Pah-Pahing for over 50 years!

 Last but not least on Friday night will be Barefoot Becky from Mount Vernon, Iowa. And yes, she really does play barefoot. I bet that walking back to the bus after a winter concert in Iowa must be a killer. Becky’s band plays a lot of German-style polka music with Czech, Country, Dixie, and Big Band influences.

On Saturday, music will play from 3pm-Midnight. Once again 3 great bands will alternate throughout the day.

Starting off will be the one of the premier legends in Polka music Walt Groller, from Whitehall, PA. Thanks to the co-sponsorship from the Ohio Polka Boosters, Walt will hit the stage at 3pm. The Summerfest crew is really looking forward to hearing Walt Groller finally play at their event!

Following in Walt’s footsteps will be the local favorite “Squeezebox”, from Ridgeville Corners, Ohio. Ted, Molly, and Dave really know how to please the local crowd. I remember the huge crowd that gathered in front of the stage to watch them play last year.

Rounding out the night will once again be Barefoot Becky. Hopefully a cold front doesn’t come through or we all might have to pitch in and buy her some ‘footies’.

Sunday will once again be fun filled with music from Noon-8 and 2 great bands alternating throughout the day.

The living legend Walt Groller will start off with the soon to be legend Squeezebox following up.

Also on Sunday will be a Cornhole Tournament and Large Inflatable Rides for the Kids.

As always, one can expect to sample great German Beer and the German Food that has always been around at the Summerfest.

Tickets are only $7 for Friday and Saturday, $5 on Sunday, or $15 for a 3 day pass.