Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Geneva "Pete" and Alton "Whimp" May, owners of the Oakdale Park motor inn and campground in Glen Rose, organized the first Bluegrass Jamboree there in 1972. The original stage was a metal trailer. The festival amenities improved over the years, but the enthusiasm for bluegrass music remained the same, earning Glen Rose the reputation as the bluegrass capital of Texas. The Mays sold Oakdale Park and held a farewell celebration in 2007. The City of Glen Rose purchased the property two years later, resurrecting the jamboree with annual spring and fall bluegrass festivals.
In this 1984 episode of The Eyes of Texas, Pete May recalls the inaugural Bluegrass Jamboree.
Watch the full video at: tinyurl.com/54v9kkd3
Explore the web exhibit, Festival Season, at: bit.ly/4pUGtjE
Contributed to the Texas Moving Image Archive Program by KPRC-TV.
#bluegrass #bluegrassmusic
Geneva "Pete" and Alton "Whimp" May, owners of the Oakdale Park motor inn and campground in Glen Rose, organized the first Bluegrass Jamboree there in 1972. The original stage was a metal trailer. The festival amenities improved over the years, but the enthusiasm for bluegrass music remained the same, earning Glen Rose the reputation as the bluegrass capital of Texas. The Mays sold Oakdale Park and held a farewell celebration in 2007. The City of Glen Rose purchased the property two years later, resurrecting the jamboree with annual spring and fall bluegrass festivals.
In this 1984 episode of The Eyes of Texas, Pete May recalls the inaugural Bluegrass Jamboree.
Watch the full video at: tinyurl.com/54v9kkd3
Explore the web exhibit, Festival Season, at: bit.ly/4pUGtjE
Contributed to the Texas Moving Image Archive Program by KPRC-TV.
#bluegrass #bluegrassmusic
