2010 marks the 29th year for the Portfest "Rollin' on the River" Festival, sponsored by Newport Chamber of Commerce. Portfest is held the first full weekend in June each year and is held on the banks of the White River at beautiful Jacksonport State Park. This years festival will be June 4-5, with the carnival opening on Wednesday June 2nd. Portfest continues to strive for quality family entertainment at a low cost.

Portfest welcomes approximately 10,000 people during the two-day event. Considering that Jackson County’s population is right at 18,000 people (Newport at 7,811) and we’re located in the Delta, you can imagine the impact thousands of visitors provide for our area.

This year Portfest is thrilled to present two nights of exciting musical entertainment. Friday night is Rock night and Blues Traveler will be here to rock the park. Opening for the band will be local favorites Doghouse. On Saturday night, we've got two great Country bands. Shenandoah will start the show, followed by Little Texas. Both shows are going to be great so grab the family and come join us for some electrifying musical performances.

The music, however, is only one part of what attracts families to our festival. With the purchase of an armband, most of the family attractions on Saturday are free without any additional cost. People throughout the region can let their children enjoy everything within the gates such as the rock climbing wall, petting zoo, entertainment, and inflatables without having to shell out a lot of hard earned cash. The goal of the festival is always to offer high-quality entertainment for families at a low cost. We’ve been affordable for 29 years while our costs continue to soar. Public and private support has allowed us to continue meeting our goal.

Portfest has several other festival-related events beginning in May with a 5K run and free kids fishing derby, two-person golf scramble, Portfest Talent Contest, and contests on Saturday at Portfest including the Buddy Bass Fishing Tournament, horseshoe pitching tournament and Colgate Country Showdown on the main stage. Vendor applications are available in mid to late February.