Haynie Opry to feature classic country and rock performances

For the 16th year, the Haynie Opry will feature performances of classic country and rock music in a family-friendly setting. Inspired by the Grand Ole Opry concert hall in Nashville, Tennessee, the concert series will feature performances by local and regional artists on the second weekend of every month from March to August at the Haynie Grange, 3344 Haynie Road, about five miles east of Blaine.

The annual Haynie Opry was started in 2005 by former Blaine resident Matt Audette, who now lives in Bellingham. Following his career as a professional musician, Audette decided to start the Haynie Opry, a stone’s throw away from his childhood home, in order to “keep that music alive that you don’t hear that often anymore.”

“I wanted to bring something more family-oriented into the community where parents can bring their kids and it’s not a drinking atmosphere like a tavern or lounge,” Audette said. “With theater-style seating, the main focus is the music. There’s no dancing. It’s just a visual thing to watch the performers on stage.”

At the monthly performances, audience members can expect to hear country and rock music from the 1940s to the 1980s. “We’re an old-fashioned retro-type venue,” Audette said. “You’re not going to go in there and hear Lady Gaga or anything like that.”

Audette said he hopes the series still attracts young adults in addition to families and older residents. “There’s a whole new generation out there discovering Johnny Cash,” he said. “I do a lot of Johnny Cash music. If there are any kids out there who are 30 or younger who want to hear Johnny Cash, they need to get in there because that’s where it’s happening.”

The Haynie Opry’s first concert this year will be on Saturday, March 14 from 7 to 9 p.m. featuring Audette and the Circle of Friends Band, in which he is the lead singer and guitarist. The opening act will be saxophonist Eric Hirst. Earlier in the day, there will be a one-hour gospel matinee at 3 p.m. “We go back and we do a lot of the old hymns, like Amazing Grace and I’ll Fly Away, the old standard hymns that they don’t often play in churches anymore,” he said.

After March 14, there will be additional matinee and evening performances on the second Saturday of April and May. In June, July and August, the concert series will add evening performances on the second Friday of the month in addition to the Saturday matinee and evening shows.

Each month, Audette tries to bring in a different guest artist. In the past, he has brought in country musicians from Nashville and elsewhere, such as Jack Greene, Tommy Overstreet and a John Denver tribute artist. Each July he also puts on a tribute to different artists. In the past, Elvis, Chuck Berry and Hank Williams have been honored. This year’s tribute will be dedicated to filmmaker Ken Burns, who released a documentary series about country music last year. “We are doing songs from that documentary in July,” Audette said.

After graduating from Blaine High School in 1975, Audette moved to Dallas and then Nashville in order to pursue a career in music. He eventually released a few albums and did several tours across the U.S. and Canada. In 1988, he signed with a small independent record label, Saddlestone Records, which released his hit song, Tennessee is Calling Back to Me. Nowadays, Audette is focused on running the Haynie Opry and occasionally performing at senior care and assisted living facilities. “I still dabble in the music business, whatever I can do,” he said.

Tickets for the Haynie Opry concert series are sold at the door, and cost $10 for the two-hour evening performances and $5 for the matinee performances. Admission is free for kids under 12. For more information, contact Audette at 360/366-3321.