DaytonDailyNews.com

NEWPORT — Mary Jo and Mike Barhorst started the party 20-some years ago. This year, they're expecting about 80,000 to the Country Concert at Hickory Hills.

"I tell my friends, 'If you're going to throw a party, be careful'," Mike laughed.

Eight hours of the four-day gathering amidst the Shelby County corn and bean fields will be televised July 28-29 on DirecTV's original programming channel.

"I started nagging about two years ago" to get the concert televised, said Bart Peters of Blaze TV, a United Kingdom television production company specializing in music.

Quite a change from 1981 when the Barhorsts sponsored their first commercial concert at their campground.

"We couldn't afford Barbara Mandrell, but Louise came and put on a great show," Mary Jo said Tuesday.

"We broke even that first year," Mike said. "Beginner's luck because we lost a lot of money over the next few years."

Putting on a concert in what the Barhorsts call "the middle of nowhere Ohio" was dicey. But the couple and their five sons kept at it.

"Look at their past history," Peters said. "Their lineup is so consistent. They are a class act."

The headliner this year is Toby Keith — one of his only 40 appearances. He'll feel right at home. It's his fifth time.

"We got him as a 'baby act', then as mid-range act, a star, a superstar and now as a mega-superstar," Mike laughed.

While music is the draw, it's not the only one.

"I'm a city girl," said Melissa Sharp of Detroit, who was camped out with three other girlfriends. "I don't listen to country. I come for the party."

Contact this reporter at (937) 335-3838 or

dpage@DaytonDailyNews.com.

How to go

What: Country Concert at Hickory Hills

When: Thursday through Sunday

Where: Hickory Hills Campgrounds, on Ohio 66, just north of Newport in Shelby County

Cost: $89 to $595, call (937) 295-3000 or countryconcert.com

Highlights

Thursday: Gary Allan, Trace Adkins

Friday: Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich

Saturday: Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Toby Keith

Sunday: Sawyer Brown with special guest Bucky Covington, Little Big Town, Neal McCoy