WALKER -- Two big summer tours are hitting the Moondance Jam stage in Walker this weekend along with other national acts.

Moondance Jam began Wednesday, July 17, and ends after The Lynyrd Skynyrd Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour performs as the headliner Saturday night after fellow southern rockers Gov’t Mule and Molly Hatchet.

Thursday night will showcase Train and The Goo Goo Dolls Summer Tour 2019 with special guest Allen Stone along with Candlebox. Friday will start off with a heavy dose of the ‘80s with Vixen, Survivor and ‘80s superstar Rick Springfield before amping up the main stage with Skillet.

“My staff and I are so thrilled to see all of our Moondance family together again for the long weekend,” Moondance owner and promoter Kathy Bieloh, who is gearing up for the shows, stated in a news release. “We love seeing familiar smiling faces and all of the new jammers, too. And we are so happy to have so many fantastic artists and bands hitting our main stage and our three-side stages. It’s going to be a blast in the concert area and in the campgrounds.”

For fans who purchased three-day festival tickets, there was a free Pre Jam Party Wednesday night with four shows in the Saloon, three mainstage shows and fans were encouraged to dress up retro style celebrating their favorite era of rock ‘n’ roll.

Moondance added a second Jumbotron for 2019 they showed off at their country festival last month.

“We kept hearing how it added so much more to the concert bowl experience,” Bieloh stated. “With the new location on both sides of the stage, fans could see the up-close camera shots without having to take their eyes away from the stage.”

General admission tickets, reserved camping with limited supply, general camping for ages 21 and older and four-day camping upgrades will be available at the gate.

Concert gates open at noon Thursday through Saturday. VIP check-in starts at noon Thursday through Saturday.

Camping check-in on Thursday through Saturday is from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Campers should not show up at the gates before the check-in time as they will not be allowed to wait on the highway. If campers are checking in late, they must be at the gates no later than 9 p.m.

Moondance Jam is on the 300-acre Moondance Fairgrounds, 6 1/5 miles southeast of Walker on Highway 200. There is $15 per day parking available at the Moondance Fairgrounds parking lot and $5 per day motorcycle parking near the east gate. Northern Lights Casino offers paid parking in their lot, west of Moondance. In addition, Moondance Jam provides a free shuttle service running from 2 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. The casino runs an early afternoon shuttle from noon - 2 p.m. Special needs accessible parking is available on the south side of the concert area.

Moondance Jam began as classic rock festival with open festival seating for all general admission ticket holders and continues this tradition. All ticket holders at Moondance have equal opportunity to get up to the front of the stage or sit back on the lawn seating area. Concertgoers who wish to reserve a spot on the lawn by bringing in a lawn chair need to purchase a chair tag. Lawn chair seating spots are taken on a daily first-come-first-served basis allowing lawn chair tag holders a reserved spot, as well as access to the pit in front of the stage for their favorite shows. Accessible seating is available in the concert area with gate personnel and security available for on-hand assistance.

New for 2019, cash will be accepted at all vendors, bars and beer tents. Moondance will honor any Moondance Bucks fans purchased in advance. Moondance has four different bars with various specials throughout the Jam. The Lazy Moon Bar & Grill will be the starting point for a Yahtzee Pub Crawl from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with a championship round at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Billy B’s bar will host shows like Redneck Olympics on Friday, Bean Bag Toss tourneys on Friday and Saturday and a huge Beer Pong tourney on Saturday with prizes for winners. There will be free beer and wine tasting by Harvest Moon Festival on Friday and Traveling Art Pub in the MDJ Saloon on Friday and Saturday.

The MDJ Saloon and outdoor Tiki Bar will feature some of the biggest regional and tribute bands from the upper Midwest. The annual camping contest takes place on Thursday and Friday in the campgrounds. The 2019 theme is “FREE BIRD!!!” with pre-registration required online.

Details on these events can be found at www.moondancejam.com or on the Moondance Jam Facebook events page.

Main stage lineup

• Thursday: Train at 10 p.m.; The Goo Goo Dolls at 8 p.m.; Allen Stone at 6 p.m.; and Candlebox at 4 p.m.

• Friday: Skillet at 1- p.m.; Rick Springfield at 8 p.m.; Survivor at 6 p.m.; and Vixen at 4 p.m.

• Saturday: Lynyrd Skynyrd at 10 p.m.; Gov’t Mule at 8 p.m.; Molly Hatchet at 6 p.m.; and Cold Kingdom at 4 p.m.