RICHLAND — When Sara Artley saw Dave Stamey perform his cowboy songs in Weiser, it sparked an idea to create a music festival in her small town.

A festival that, hopefully, would draw Stamey as a performer.

“On the ride home, we were discussing that we needed a festival for him to come play at, and so we decided to start one,” she said.

The Chautauqua Music Festival started in 2022 to bring a weekend of Americana music to Richland, along with workshops, vendors, food and drinks.

Stamey didn’t perform at the inaugural event. Or at the next one. But he’s coming now to headline Saturday’s performances.

“It’s taken four years to get him,” Artley said.

The 2025 Chautauqua Music Festival is May 16-18 at Eagle Valley Grange Park. Tickets are on sale now — $25 for the Saturday performances. Purchase tickets at chautauquamusicfestival.com, Sara’s Richland Cafe, or the gate.

Admission is free on Friday, when vendors open at 4:30 p.m., followed by a festival fundraiser from 5:30-7:30 p.m. (silent auction, raffles and live auction at 7:15 p.m.).

The main raffle has big prizes. The first winning ticket chooses between two adventure prizes worth $2,300: a Sheep Creek adventure from Hells Canyon Adventure or a muzzleloader and hunt from WildCountry Packing.

The second winning ticket gets the remaining adventure, and the third winner receives a gift basket valued at $200. Raffle tickets are available for $10 in advance at Sara’s Richland Cafe, Richland Feed and Seed, Halfway Feed and Seed, Snake River PCS and the Baker County Chamber of Commerce in Baker City.

Friday culminates with music by The Wasteland Kings from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sunday

Saturday, May 17, dawns with breakfast by the Eagle Valley Rural Fire Department from 7-11 a.m. Vendors will be open from 11 a.m. to dusk.

Several workshops are planned: introduction to herbal remedies by Kathy Daven at 11 a.m., and beginner rag rugging with Sandra Sharp and Sara Artley at 1 p.m.

At 2:30 p.m., attendees can check out demonstrations of equine massage or mule packing.

The music gets started at 3 p.m. with returning duo Carter Junction performing Celtic and folk, followed by an open mic from 4:30-5:30 p.m. This hour also repeats the demonstrations from earlier in the day.

Dave Stamey takes the stage at 5:30 p.m., followed by blues guitarist Mississippi Marshall at 7:30 p.m. and a campfire, with optional jam, at 9:15 p.m.

The festival wraps up Sunday, May 18, with breakfast by the fire department from 7-11 a.m. and a gospel jam at 10 a.m.

Dave Stamey

Stamey’s musical career dates back 45 years, when there weren’t as many places to play.

“There weren’t any festivals — the only place to play was bars,” he said.

He lost interest soon after high school.

“I didn’t pick up the guitar seriously for 10 years,” he said.

Instead, he worked in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains to move stock between winter and summer pasture.

“My wife suggested I take my guitar and play around the campfire,” he said.

He resisted, but she insisted — and so began his second music career.

“It just got rolling from there,” he said.

He’s professionally toured his music for 30 years and has released 14 albums. At his busiest, he performed 130 shows a year. Now, he performs 80 to 90 days.

“I’m home two to three days a week,” he said.

He said the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, which celebrates 41 years in 2026, launched the popularity of western music.

“There was no interest in cowboy music at all,” he said. “It opened up a tremendous amount of opportunities to perform.”

In 2016, Stamey was inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame.