History of The Oldfield Opry

The Oldfield Opry began on a cold January night in 1977. It was held in a vacant store building owned by John W. Walker located at the junction of Highway 125 and Highway T in Oldfield, Missouri. The band consisted of four local musicians – Hank Thompson, Bill Gardner, Steve Beyers and Johnny Walker. The audience on that first night only slightly outnumbered the band.

However, the crowd began to grow in the next few weeks and months. It wasn’t long before the crowd outgrew the building which seated 50-60 people. In March of 1990 a fundraising drive began to raise money to build a new building for the Oldfield Opry. Construction began on the new building in August of that year. The building was built with labor donated by many members of the surrounding communities. The Oldfield Opry moved into its new building in December of 1990. The building seated 200 people and had central heating and air conditioning. It even had running water and indoor restrooms!

Admission to the Oldfield Opry is by donation only. Many volunteers work the concessions, act as ushers and help clean up after the show. The musicians literally “sing for their supper.” The Oldfield Opry truly is a “labor of love.” Throughout the years the Oldfield Opry has entertained audiences from all 50 of the United States and many foreign countries.

The first verse of the theme song tells it all: “Come on out to Oldfield on a Saturday night, you won’t see no drinkin’ and you won’t see no fights, just good friends and neighbors, they’ll sure treat you right, at the Oldfield Opry on a Saturday night.”