The family fun zone at Miners Jubilee will be expanded for this year’s festival, July 18-20. (Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald)

BAKER CITY — Miners Jubilee marks mid-summer in Baker City with a three-day celebration of the area’s gold history that includes vendors in the park, a parade, bronc and bull riding, music and more.

The event is organized by the Baker County Chamber of Commerce. Jubilee originally started in 1934 as Baker Mining Jubilee, but faded after 1941 due to the war.

The chamber revived the event in 1982.

“This year marks the 43rd anniversary of Miners Jubilee,” said Christopher Hobson, chamber director.

Geiser-Pollman Park will again be full of vendors.

“We were 90% sold out by the end of February after opening applications,” Hobson said. “Some new, many returning.”

He said chamber members Haines Stagecoach Gifts and Cow Camp, from Halfway, will be participating this year.

Family Fun Zone

The family fun zone will be expanded with bounce houses, an arcade, mini golf and more, all three days.

The bounce houses will be on the grass in the park near the playground, and the other attractions will be on Grove Street, between the park and the Baker Heritage Museum.

Fun zone bracelets, which grant unlimited use for the games, are $30 per day.

Music

All three nights of Jubilee feature special music.

On Friday, July 18, La Grande bands Slapjack Casualty (folk/Americana/mountain music) and Bag of Hammers (acoustic/electronic fusion/live looping) play, starting at 7 p.m. in Court Plaza on Main Street.

Saturday, July 19, features Andrew Sheppard of Hailey, Idaho, (country rock/Americana) and David Henry of Boise (Americana/country/folk/rock/soul), also at 7 p.m. in Court Plaza.

Those two nights of music are sponsored by AJ’s Corner Brick.

The weekend wraps up Sunday, July 20, with a concert by Darci Carlson, the “outlaw of country music.” Her show starts at 5 p.m. at the Baker County Event Center, 2600 East St. Entry is $10.

Carlson played at the end of Jubilee in 2024, as well, but that show was at Churchill School.

“She is very excited to play the fairgrounds this year and looks forward to playing Jubilee annually,” Hobson said.

Carlson grew up in the Seattle area, started playing guitar at age 12, and later led an all-girl punk rock band.

But she grew up on country music, and has been playing — and touring — that genre for about a decade. In 2017, she was named the Outlaw Female of the Year.

She describes outlaw country as “a little edgier than traditional honky tonk.”