Rain or snow, but good music will always be a reason for people to come out and have a great time with friends and family. And the Oxbow Bow Valley Jamboree once again proved it.
“The Jamboree was a success again for sure. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t co-operate,” said Lori Moncrief from the Oxbow Arts and Cultural Committee, which puts on the festival.
The annual celebration of Saskatchewan music took place Aug. 10 at the Bow Valley Park south of Oxbow. That day parts of the southeast Saskatchewan witnessed a severe thunderstorm with hail and heavy rain.
“It was raining early in the morning when we were setting up. We were hoping that it would clear off, but it didn’t. It did some drizzling and it was quite cool throughout the day,” said Moncrief.
But since the show always must go on, the organizers proceeded with the plan. So did the spectators.
“We had a really great day of entertainment. In the past five years, this lineup just rocked the boat for me. And we heard really good comments from the fans,” shared Moncrief.
The late-night crowd, so-called twilight people, who came after 9 p.m., this time stayed longer than ever before.
Moncrief outlined that they were really pleased that Chris Henderson was able to come and perform.
“He has a really good following around,” said Moncrief.
Ginelle James who was supposed to perform in the early evening had a death in the family last month, so she couldn’t come for the event.
Some of the performances were changed along the way as well. Thus, a member of one of the bands, Downwind, died three weeks prior to the event.
“It was a very difficult time for Ken Green’s friends and family, but the band performed at his funeral and during the Jamboree they paid tribute to Ken,” said Moncrief.
One of the Oxbow councillors Darrell Dunnigan spoke on behalf of the town during the event.
“He welcomed the crowd at the beginning. He said events like this pull us together physically, socially and economically. And it was really great to hear that coming from the town. We’ve always appreciated their support,” recalled Moncrief.
She said that despite the weather, they didn’t need to rearrange anything on the day of the Jamboree.
“We have a super sound and stage crew that we hire from Brandon (Man.). And they looked after everything really well. And our new Bow Valley stage is invaluable in the case of inclement weather.”
This year about 450 people attended the music festival altogether.
“We were reasonably pleased with the attendance. It’s roughly the same as last year. Given the fact that there were two Garth Brooks’ concerts Friday night and Saturday and the cool weather… a lot of people don’t want to stay outside in a situation like that, (the turnout was good),” said Moncrief.
A lot of people chose to risk it and come to the music festival despite the weather. And seems that nobody regretted their choice.
“We didn’t hear any whining, complaining. People brought garbage bags and umbrellas and set through.”
There was some hot coffee and treats available to warm up and sweeten the day. Bouncy castles were set for the kids. They also could take advantage of dance lessons to later practice their new skills with live music accompaniment.
“We are really pleased that the kids were up and dancing in front of the stage too because it’s one of the best things as far as our committee is concerned. We want to see the kids up and moving,” said Moncrief.
The committee always wants to have as many community members as possible socializing, enjoying the music and having a great time. And with the success of this year, Moncrief was quite confident that there will be another Bow Valley Jamboree next year. It will take some time to debrief, but soon the organizers will get together again to discuss the future plans.
“We will definitely take a look at all that happened this year. There are always things that don’t go exactly as planned or things that we want (to be) improved. So we’ll put our heads together after we rest up. An event like that takes so much co-ordination and communication… So we were tired at the end, but we have affection for live music and arts and cultural activities, so we will do it again,” said Moncrief.
She believes that except for the attendance there is not much that should be changed from this year.
“We have a good routine in place and a good group of volunteers,” said Moncrief.
Besides the main musical program the committee also always leaves time for young musicians to take on stage and perform in front of the crowd in between main acts.
“It’s a great experience for them.”
Some musicians have been performing at the Jamboree for a few years, and the spectators could see and hear their maturity and development.
“I remember the first year they performed, they were a little nervous and hesitant, as they should be. But last year they stood taller. And this year they looked like experienced performers,” said Moncrief.
The Oxbow Bow Valley Jamboree’s sign says music builds communities. For the fifth time, the music festival proved it.
