Just a week after the dust settled from the Gambler 500, another monster event is invading Redmond.

This time it’s the inaugural Fairwell Festival. The show is bringing big names and big crowds to Central Oregon, and you’ll also notice big traffic jams and big prices at Redmond hotels. (The cost to park an RV at the fairgrounds this weekend is $800 a night!)

It’s pretty clear the festival is going to draw people of all ages.

Teen children of family friends asked to throw up a tent in our back yard on Saturday night. They’re coming solely to see Zach Bryan, the countrified-singer songwriter that’s a hit with the younger crowd. Other Oregon friends asking about tickets were interested in different acts — from blues star Gary Clark Jr. on Friday to the 90-year-old legend himself — Willie Nelson — on Sunday. We heard from a bunch of fans of Nate Rateliff and the Night Sweats and Shane Smith and the Saints, too. 

We’ll be out all weekend snapping photos and asking festivalgoers about their experiences. Read about how it went and see full pages of photos in the next edition of the Redmond Spokesman, and at redmondspokesman.com.

We’re not just music, centric however. Reporter Janea Melido spent a day at the American Dairy Goat Association’s national finals, which were in Redmond earlier this week. She also spent a day with local seniors as they prepare for a major overhaul of the Redmond Senior Center. You’ll want to read both stories.

Please consider purchasing an annual subscription to the Spokesman, at a cost of less than $1 a week. You can have digital access only, or home print delivery. Call 541-923-1370 or go to redmondspokesman.com and we’ll get you signed up at an affordable price. That’s the best way to support our work and stay informed about your community.

We have heard complaints about delivery in some of the outlying Redmond neighborhoods, including some subscribers not getting their papers on time. The U.S. Postal Service delivers our papers for us. We drop them well before the required deadline at the Redmond post office.

We don’t have to tell you, but the postal service is really struggling to fill open positions in Redmond and that has led to plenty of uncompleted mail routes. If the paper you paid for doesn’t get to you on time, call us and we’ll get one to you right away. Once again, that phone number is 541-923-1370. Thanks again for your support.

— Tim Trainor is editor of the Redmond Spokesman.