MEDFORD, Ore.– One year ago this July, the Jackson County Expo was preparing for the biggest event it has ever held – the Country Crossings Music Festival. But after just two years, the massive festival imploded.
A major sponsor backed out, it took months for vendors to get paid, and the president of the organization behind the festival was fired. However, the short run of the festival shouldn’t have come as a big surprise.
For local country music fans, the 2017 and 2018 summer had the draw of a special festival, unlike anything the valley had seen before. With big-ticket names on the roster, Country Crossings seemed like a hit.
But at the end of its second year, details about the festival shined new light behind the curtain. Purchased by IMG back in 2013, the Willamette Country Music Concerts company directly oversaw Country Crossings. As word began to grow that vendors and Jackson County were still waiting to get paid, IMG investigated and later fired WCMC president Anne Hankins in October.
Around that time, a spokesperson for IMG stated the company discovered “a series of organizational and financial issues throughout the WCMC business.”
The spokesperson confirmed Hankins’ lawyer ordered a cease and desist but that the company stood by its statements saying “Ms. Hankins lied about her professional and legal history and is now refusing to take responsibility.”
NBC5 News reached out to Hankins for comment but did not receive a response.
Months after the 2018 festival, vendors still hadn’t been paid. Amounts owed ranged in prices of several hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Even Jackson County went unpaid with nearly $100,000 owed.
NBC5 News reached back out to vendors and the county. All confirmed IMG has since reimbursed them. Many received most or all of the money owed before the end of the year.
Country Crossing’s failure may not have come as a surprise given the turbulent history of the company behind it in the Willamette Valley. Hankins and Bi-Mart were sued for trademark infringement and unfair trade competition in a 2011 civil case.
It alleged Hankins attempted to take over the Willamette Country Music Festival from its original founder, Warren Williamson, by forming a new, but similar company. Its name – Willamette Country Music Concerts, Incorporated.
The suit said, “Defendants began to change the website and internet advertising, use the lists and contacts for their own purposes, including taking the renewal information obtained from the 2010 festival.” It also said, “…that the business of Plaintiffs was now ‘under new management.'”
The defendants fired back. According to media reports, Hankins said she formed the new company, WCMC after Williamson mismanaged WCMF. The two sides eventually settled, WCMF dissolved and WCMC was born.
The Register-Guard reports Hankins and Bi-Mart were to pay a combined $200,000 as part of the settlement.
The short-lived festival was the biggest event in the Rogue Valley. The foot traffic alone helped boost the local economy.
But the missteps taken have left a sore spot on many businesses who say they will be more careful with who they work with. Others are moving forward with new plans but learning from the past. The Expo says it’s looking to plan for events of similar size in the future with new flexibility on the July calendar.
Meanwhile, a new festival is in the works. Travel Medford is organizing “Heart of the Rogue” for the fall of 2020. The new festival is set to focus on food, music and the arts produced here in the Rogue Valley.
The committee was recently formed but the location is expected to be in downtown Medford for the third weekend in October.
“What we get to do in being the champion for the community is help with these events and kind of bring a vibrancy to our community,” said Eli Matthews, vice president of Travel Medford. “Not just for our locals but for people that come and visit.”
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