Day 1 of Ocean City's inaugural Country Calling Festival — a brand-new event drawing thousands of tourists to the popular resort town — was nothing short of a success, with hot sets from big-name headliners Jelly Roll and Eric Church, as well as the ultra-talented Ella Langley, The Red Clay Strays, Ocean City native Jimmy Charles and many more.
The crowd was electrifying, with country music fans of all ages shimmying and shaking their way across the sand. Now, day 2 begins. It will feature headliners Lainey Wilson and Tyler Childers, icons Tanya Tucker and Dwight Yoakam, and many more.
Follow along with Delmarva Now all day Saturday here for live updates of day 2.
COUNTRY CALLING DAY 1 RECAP: Country Calling: What drew fans to OCMD as Jelly Roll, Eric Church anticipation grows
Verona Oien and Mitchell O'Neill flew all the way from Northern Canada to see Tyler Childers perform live in concert tonight. That's right — Canada.
To top it all off, this is the couple's first time on the East Coast of the United States. Before today, the furthest Oien had been was the Toronto airport. Talk about two dedicated fans.
O'Neill, who is a big fan of Tyler Childers, missed an opportunity to see the renowned country music star perform live at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, in August. So, Oien snagged the next best chance: the Country Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland.
"I found Saturday (festival) passes for a reasonable price and flights. So, we flew all day and got here at midnight," she shared.
Tyler Childers has always been a favorite of O'Neill's. So, once he and Oien figured out the logistics, their two-day trip to Ocean City was a go.
"I play music myself, and he's always been one of my favorite artists," O'Neill said of Childers, whose name started to gain recognition in 2017 following the release of his second album, Purgatory.
O'Neill is also a huge Tanya Tucker fan, and was looking forward to hearing her perform live on the Scoot stage this evening.
"I love Tanya Tucker. I've always loved her. My mom loves her too, she's a big fan," he said. "I'm just an old school country kind of fan. I like the older style. She's just an amazing artist, and I look forward to seeing her."
It was snowing in Canada when Oien and O'Neill left home just mere days ago. Now, against the beautiful backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, the couple is reveling in the sunshine, heat and humidity — a welcome change, they said.
In regard to whether or not the two-days of travel were worth it, the couple responded with a resounding yes.
"We like to travel, and it's fun to see new places," Oien said. "Neither of us have been to the East Coast of anywhere, let alone the East Coast of the United States."
"And all the accents," she exclaimed. "Everyone has cool accents!"
"It's a different way of living, that's for sure," O'Neill added.
The couple is soaking up every single second of their memorable first trip to the East Coast of the United States, with Country Calling Festival to thank for making it all happen.
Operations Manager Shelly Samsal of Pablo's Bowls, a resort town eatery serving handcrafted smoothies, juices and acai bowls, showed up in support of the inaugural Country Calling Festival.
"How can you miss Country Calling when they're bringing some of the top names in country music from the past and the now to your own hometown, right?" she said in awe. "You have to be here."
As a local herself, Samsal is over the moon to see so many festivalgoers indulging in mom-and-pop shops along the Boardwalk, as well as more businesses in and around the downtown Ocean City area.
"I think it's fantastic," she said of the influx of tourists and, likewise, business. "All businesses that are here get a bump from this, which is amazing. In our shoulder season, when we get this kind of business, it's awesome."
Samsal spent her morning managing Pablo's Bowls. Now she's here alongside her husband, hoping to catch sight of Lainey Wilson, Tanya Tucker and Tyler Childers live onstage.
"Two thumbs up from Pablo's," she said with a smile. "We love this. Do more!"
The world of country taking over the beach may seem odd, she agreed, but it works.
"Music brings people together. Music is everyone's common denominator," Samsal said. "So, country music at the beach? We all just want to get out, listen to live music, and enjoy this beautiful weather."
Ryan Knight is here, at the inaugural Country Calling Festival, to celebrate his girlfriend's birthday. He's also here, he admitted, to play a few Jolly Roger Amusement Park games, too.
He's tried his hand at just one so far and spent about $90 in an attempt to win, according to his girlfriend, Cortney Cameron.
The game in question: "The Long-Range" or, simply put, basketball.
"I love amusement park games so I had to come play. I actually missed all of the shots, so it's a pity prize," Knight said, motioning to his prize — a squawking rubber chicken.
Knight attempted to pass the rubber chicken on to Cameron, who said with a laugh, "I don't want it."
Knight and Cameron, both from Southern Maryland, and the couple's five friends are here to utilize all that the festival has to offer. Plus, Knight said, the crew is also here to see countless chart-topping country music stars — such as Jelly Roll and Bailey Zimmerman — perform, of course.
Knight reflected on Jelly Roll's epic live set on Friday night. The word on the street is: It was nothing short of spectacular.
"It was phenomenal, couldn't have been better," he said of Jelly Roll's performance. "He gets the crowd involved. He's just an entertainer."
Cameron said she loves how accessible the Boardwalk is. The bathroom situation isn't too bad either.
"I love the amount of bathrooms — 10 out of 10," she said in approval.
While the group is having a great time so far, Knight admitted there's just one thing he'd like to change.
"Drinks could be cheaper, though," he said.
"That's our only complaint, really," Cameron added.
Nevertheless, the couple and their five friends are gearing up for some more fun under the sun, with a few photo-ops in the sand next on their agenda.
On Saturday, Delmarva Now came across one of Jelly Roll's biggest fans: John Witkowski of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
John and his wife, Loretta, are here at Country Calling Festival — first and foremost — to celebrate their 23rd anniversary. It just so happens that, to John's delight, Jelly Roll is also one of the festival's headliners. So, said Loretta, it all just worked out perfectly.
"It was phenomenal," John said of Jelly Roll's epic performance on Friday night. "His music just gets to you. He's raw. He's real. He's a real person. He doesn't do it for the show."
"Some country artists, the fame gets to them. But I don't see him ever doing that, just because of where his roots are," he continued. "When he was in prison, he found Jesus and turned his life around. So, that's a huge inspiration."
It's Jelly's Roll's redemption arc, from a broken man to country superstar, that astounds John.
Loretta is also a country music fan at heart. To be able to experience such a wide variety of artists at the picturesque beach is just the cherry on top.
"I love this environment because, first of all, the crowd is just amazing," she said.
Loretta appreciates how the Boardwalk, Ocean City Inlet Pier and Jolly Roger Amusement Park are all accessible to festivalgoers.
She and John have staked their claim to a spot on the pier, which offers an escape from the packed crowd, a seat for their tired feet, cool breeze, and view of both the Boot and Scoot stages.
"We don't need to fight the crowd up here," John said, noting how he and his wife had a laugh last night as the two watched the crowds move to and fro between stages in an attempt to catch each set up close.
Today's lineup is impressive, said the couple, and they're looking forward to seeing as many artists as possible.
Southerners Adam and Susan Waters feel right at home at Country Calling Festival. Following The Red Clay Strays' soulful performance yesterday evening, which rocked the house, the couple was spotted dancing their way out of the crowd.
The Waters, who were all smiles, are massive fans of The Red Clay Strays. The band, led by lead singer Brandon Coleman, is known for its unique blend of rock 'n' roll, soul and country music.
"I would go see them as the headliner anywhere," Susan said. "We were just waiting to have our socks blown off, and they were blown off."
"Even though there's great talent here, we knew this would be our favorite show out of the whole festival," Adam said of The Red Clay Strays.
The couple, who hails from North Carolina, said they will most definitely be back next year for the second round of Country Calling Festival; this time, with their kids.
Today, Adam and Susan are most excited to see Parmalee perform. Parmalee is a country music band that started in the couple's home state of North Carolina. In fact, said Susan, Adam is friends with a few members of the band.
Adam made note of how special the venue is. A music festival on the beach? Say no more.
"Anytime they have a show here," Adam said to his wife, "let's come."
Guide to Country Calling: Ultimate guide to Country Calling Festival: lineup, weather forecast, traffic and more
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com .
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Country Calling Day 2: Tyler Childers super fans come all the way from Canada to OCMD fest
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