Thayer Country Music Show

Event Details

The accommodations have moved from various towns and locations, to a 53-foot flatbed trailer in Thayer to the present spot at the park bandstand, but the Thayer Country Music Show at times in its history known as the "Amateur Hour" and "Amateur Night," is still going strong in its 66th year.

Performances are each Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and much like it has been since 1935, starting time is 7 pm with the last number played "whenever' - perhaps as late as the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Though is has moved from the trailer that was parked in downtown Thayer, many things remain the same, while a couple of new attractions have been added. School-aged children still run around playing games during the show. Attendees are still encouraged to bring a lawn chair and "sit a spell and clap their hand," if the spirit moves them. Some cushioned mini-couches, with backs, are also available. Many of the locals chat during the show, as this is probably the only time many of them see each other during the week - another tradition.

Two of the founders of the show were the late Harvey Orcutt of the Odense community and 83-year-old Nathan Welch of Chanute who still picks up his guitar and sits in occasionally. Jo Anna Welch, daughter, a Chanute librarian, remembers that back in the "old days" of the flatbed trailer, "if you got up and sang a 'special,' you got a free drink at the downtown cafe that was open back then.

The entertainers come from near and far, including Coffeyville, Independence, Fredonia, Erie, Humboldt, and Altoona, as well as Chanute.

The evening is perennially peaceful, and is one of the few places left where children can run loose and their parents not have to be worried about them.

So, why not dust off the old guitar or fiddle, or vocal chords, and join in? New performers are always welcome at the Thayer Country Music Show.

Saturdays - 7 P.M. - Memorial Day to Labor Day