SHANIKO — Elevation: 3,343; Population: 30. And it’s a place worth paying attention to.
Although it looks like a quiet high desert ghost town, in the third weekend in May, something big happens here: The Hoot Holler & Sing Bluegrass Campout. Backed by the Oregon Community Foundation, Ford Family Foundation, and Rural Development Initiatives, Shaniko is building something ambitious. This event will mark the launch of a rural music and arts hub spanning Wasco, Wheeler, Morrow, and Gilliam counties. This project will include a Music Trail Concept that’s designed to span across Central and Eastern Oregon Communities, and will combine with an artist residency program and dark sky partnership with the neighboring city of Antelope.
The Hoot Holler & Sing Bluegrass Campout on May 22-25 is the flagship public face of this new effort: free admission, camping, the Oregon Bluegrass Association Annual Meeting, and last but not least, will culminate in a bluegrass championship show on Saturday evening at the Shaniko Schoolhouse.
Rural Oregon has no shortage of places like Shaniko. These are towns with history, character and resourceful residents who refuse to go quietly. Their work and their town deserves far more attention than it gets.
If you’ve got a free weekend in late May, Shaniko is about a 90-minute drive from Hood River. Bring a tent and your favorite pair of boots.
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