Music

Country Jam Canceled for 2020 Over COVID-19 Concerns

V1 Staff, photos by Branden Nall |

The stage at Country Jam USA in July 2019.
The stage at Country Jam USA in July 2019.

Another one of the Chippewa Valley’s high-profile music festivals has fallen silent this summer: Organizers of County Jam USA announced Monday that the three-day musical gathering won’t happen in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of this July 16-18, the next Jam has been scheduled for July 15-17, 2021, on the festival grounds just outside Eau Claire.

“We hung in there as long as we could,” Kathy Wright, general manager of Country Jam USA, said in an email to media. “The safety of our guests, artists, staff and community is of the utmost importance.”

“We hoped something would change or a solution to safely hold the event would arise. As each day went by, we realized the ability to hold the event was not possible,” Wright said.

Previously, several of the Valley’s other major musical events – including Rock Fest, the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, Northwoods Blues Fest, and Blues on the Chippewa – had been canceled for 2020. Both Blue Ox Music Festival and Country Fest have been rescheduled from June to August, while OneFest in Chippewa Falls is still on the calendar for July.

Country Jam’s 2020 lineup had included the likes of Luke Combs, Chris Young, John Michael Montgomery, and local hero Chris Kroeze. Organizers say they are working to assemble a 2021 lineup, and they hope to announce some performers soon. In addition, patrons can roll their 2020 tickets over to 2021 or request refunds.

For full details, visit countryjamwi.com.