Over the weekend, Charleston’s Morton Park was bustling with traffic as stage crews and technicians erected the center stage for the city’s annual Red, White & Blue Days.

Country star Jake Owen will take that stage at 8 p.m. today, and despite the recent heat wave, coordinators for the concert expect a large audience.

Betty Coffrin, a member of the Red, White & Blue Days planning committee, said she anticipates a significant turnout.

“When we had Trace Adkins, there were around 8,000 people in the park,” Coffrin said. “Considering how popular Jake Owen is, we are expecting around the same number, 5,000 to 8,000 at the least.”

Though Owen is performing on July 3, Coffrin said the committee considers him the main act.

“This is our 22nd time doing the festival, and it’s always been that way,” she said. “It’s usually cooler on the third, and because many people go see fireworks at night on July 4, we save the headlining act for the day before.”

Owen will headline the festival’s main night, stopping in Charleston during a nationwide summer tour.

Officially named the “Brothers of the Sun” tour, Owen will reunite with country superstars Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw for a 19-date trip around the U.S.

While neither Chesney nor McGraw will join Owen for tonight’s show, Coffrin said the city is very lucky to have Owen perform.

“Red, White & Blue Days is right in the middle of his tour, and he’s going out of his way to play in Charleston,” Coffrin said.

Coffrin attributed Owen’s booking to the long-term planning of the festival’s committee. She said the committee has been planning the festival for almost eight months and that there were no scheduling problems between Owen’s “Brothers of the Sun” tour and his performance in Charleston.

With his performance at Red, White & Blue Days, Owen will continue what has been a very busy year, both personally and professionally.

Owen’s year has included a May 7 wedding to his girlfriend of one year, Lacey Buchanan, as well as a recently released music video and single “The One That Got Away.”

According to his website, the video is “autobiographical,” and Owen has said the song and video are descriptive of his life.

Coffrin said tonight’s festivities are not just limited to Jake Owen’s performance, though.

In response to recent heat waves, Coffrin said the festival’s planners have coordinated with the Charleston Fire Department to provide a cooling station in Morton Park.

“The local fire department will be there with a misting station to cool any overheated people,” Coffrin said.

As for any other safety precautions during the festival, Coffrin said the city will be very strict on their ban of fireworks and other flammable items, citing dry grass as a possible fire hazard and danger to concertgoers.

John Downen can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].