BamaJam Scrapped

The fourth annual BamaJam Music & Arts Festival scheduled for June 2-4 in Enterprise, Ala., has been scrapped in the wake of organizer Ronnie Gilley’s guilty plea to government corruption charges last month.

The former Country Crossing developer posted a message May 24 on the festival’s Facebook page announcing the change of plans.

“Please forgive me for the delays with respect to BamaJam. I have no excuse other than the obvious. For the last three weeks we have been trying desperately to figure out a way to bring BamaJam 2011 to fruition. Unfortunately, at this time it just doesn’t seem possible,” Gilley said. “We will continue to work in that direction and look forward to BamaJam returning no later than 2012!”

The message also gave a mailing address for those who bought advance tickets and camping passes to apply for a refund.

Previous BamaJam lineups have included Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Hank Williams Jr., Alan Jackson, Kid Rock and many others.

Gilley pleaded guilty April 22 to 11 counts including conspiracy, bribery involving public officials and money laundering stemming from his attempt to bribe legislators into legalizing gambling, including the electronic bingo machines at Country Crossing. He’s also reportedly agreed to assist federal prosecutors.

Gilley could face more than 20 years in prison and hundreds of thousands in fines at his sentencing Nov. 15.