Where the Music Never Stops: The Old Washington Music Festival Finds Its Rhythm in 2025

By Dave Parsons

Nestled just eight miles east of Cambridge, Ohio, the village of Old Washington now transforms each summer into the heartbeat of Appalachian country music tradition. The Old Washington Music Festival is more than just a lineup—it’s a reunion. Held each July at the Guernsey County Fairgrounds just 8 miles east of Cambridge, it’s four days of open skies, cold drinks, hot guitars, and heartfelt American music.

Guernsey County’s fairgrounds, framed by green hills and farmland, make the perfect backdrop. There’s camping on-site, vendors offering everything from pulled pork sandwiches to festival merch, and a staff of volunteers who make it feel like a family reunion—even if it’s your first time through the gate.   Coolers are welcome, lawn chairs become living room thrones, and the pit area invites fans of all ages to get up close and personal with their musical heroes. With camping on-site, no glass allowed, and an open invitation for good vibes and great music, the festival captures something rare: authenticity.

Started in 2024, the festival grew in several areas from last year, while laying its roots down even further for the future.  The festival balances marquee performers with rising local talent, creating an inclusive blend of nostalgia and discovery. You can always tell when a music festival has found its stride. It’s not just in the crowd size or the headliners, but it’s in the vibe. The kind you can feel from the parking lot to the pit rail, with locals bumping into each other between corn dog stands and merch tents. The general admission policy allows for a shared pit area in front of the stage.  A real plus is that everyone gets a shot at being up close and personal with their favorite artists if they want.

And on Thursday, July 17, 2025, that magic came alive again, even though Mother Nature decided to chime in later. By the 3 PM start time, the heat and humidity were well underway as early festivalgoers strolled in with lawn chairs strapped to their backs and ballcaps turned down to block the heat.

If you read my account from last year’s festival, I said there was one act in this area of the country that you have to have to kick off a day’s show.  Lo and behold, that one particular act, Hoard & Jones, rumbled the Guernsey County Fairgrounds to life. Comprised of one of the most recognizable guitar talents in Roger Hoard, and Dan Jones, a board-certified family physician, as well as a musician on fiddle, guitar, harmonica, and mandolin, they have the diversity to do all styles of music.

Hoard & Jones opened the show with a classic rock-meets-country sound that was perfect for the moment. Their 90-minute set read like a greatest hits compilation from your dad’s CD collection, and that’s exactly the point.  From their take on Tom Petty’s You Wreck Me to the full-throated soul of Thrill Is Gone, they proved that a good band can turn any time slot into a main event. 

Ghost Riders in the Sky got the Western swing treatment it deserved, while their closing number, The South’s Gonna Do It Again, proved once again that you don’t need pyrotechnics or platinum records to make a field full of strangers feel like family. 

At 5 PM, Silver Stallion took the stage with an ambitious tribute act concept, and that is to channel the spirits of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash as The Highwaymen. From their stage outfits to the classics they sang, it stirred up memories and the love for the music of these four.  Silver Stallion didn’t impersonate the Highwaymen. They honored them.  You could see it in the smiles of recognition, heads bowed to memory, and voices lifted in unison for every chorus. It’s a tall order, but these guys came surprisingly close.

Their Me and Bobby McGee would have made Kris proud, delivered with just enough rasp to sell the heartbreak. On the Road Again, Ring of Fire, and Folsom Prison Blues were the tip of the setlist iceberg. Their harmonies rang true, their presence respectful but powerful, and their delivery impeccable. 

The highlight came during Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, where the vocal interplay between the Waylon and Willie impersonators created an authentic moment of country music magic. Sure, it’s a tribute band, but who’s complaining when it’s done this well? The Highwaymen themselves would approve of keeping their legacy alive for a new generation of fans discovering these songs. It was a journey to another time, when things were a little easier and more enjoyable. 

Which was the perfect lead-in to the Bellamy Brothers.  As the sun dipped low and a gentle breeze picked up across the fairgrounds, the Bellamy Brothers took the stage with effortless grace. Walking onto the stage just as the golden light of evening began to fall across the fairgrounds, they immediately launched into decades of hits, with an easygoing charm that only comes from doing something you love for as long as they have.

They’re not just hitmakers.  They are storytellers, purveyors of good times, and keepers of a softer, more sentimental brand of country music that still rings true.  Offering Feelin’ the Feelin’, Sugar Daddy, Old Hippie, and Let Your Love Flow, among almost every other charted hit they had, Howard and David Bellamy played the kind of set that reminded everyone why they’re still one of the most beloved duos in American music.

As the Bellamys wrapped their set with the upbeat sway of Reggae Cowboy, the evening sky began to change. Festival staff, ever prepared, were closely watching radar as a weather system approached from the west. A bolt of lightning was reported within four miles, which was close enough to require a temporary delay for safety.

Though the crowd waited in hope, the decision was made to cancel the remaining headlining acts, which were Sammy Kershaw, Aaron Tippin, and Collin Raye together, out of caution and respect for safety guidelines. Fans were understandably disappointed. But they also understood.

Because by then, the day had already been a success.

From the first notes of Hoard & Jones to the final chorus from the Bellamy Brothers, Thursday had been a joyful day, and that’s what music festivals are all about.  I thought it was very cool that the trio made an impromptu appearance in the merchandise tent, signing autographs and taking selfies, until the rain settled on the grounds.

And that’s the way it always used to be.

You leave a little sun-kissed, a little tired, and a whole lot grateful. You are holding that autographed item, or looking at the selfie on your phone, that you have waited 20 years to get. On the way out, your kids are talking about the songs you grew up on, that they heard for the first time that day, and how much they love them now as well. Where friends reconnect over old tunes and new memories. Where strangers become neighbors and neighbors become family.

Come early. Stay late. Bring your cooler. Bring your heart.

And the best part? There were two more days to go.