ESTEVAN — For the second straight year, the River Jamm delivered a night of music and revelry to the Hidden Valley Golf and RV Resort west of Estevan.
A large crowd attended the bash July 5 at Hidden Valley's driving range. Snake Oil was the featured act again this year, while southeast-based band The Ugly Strippers served as the opening act. The event was organized by the Estevan Knights of Columbus, and served as a fundraiser for the organization's efforts in the community.
"That was a big party," said Hidden Valley owner Brad Dutton. "And no trouble."
Dutton believes there were more people in the crowd this year than last, which attracted more than 1,200 people, and the nice weather the night of the concert didn't deter anyone. He added the success of last year's show played a big role in the size of this year's crowd.
"It was so well received last year and highly successful that people wanted to do it again, and there were people who wanted to take it in and had not been at last year's show," said Dutton.
People from as far away as Red Deer came to Estevan for the River Jamm.
The music was great, he said. Snake Oil played songs from a variety of artists and eras.
"They dressed the part, they sang the part and they entertained. It was good. I guess maybe there was pent-up demand to party in the dark and listen to rock and roll," said Dutton.
The Ugly Strippers did a great job of entertaining as well, said Dutton, and getting the crowd ready for the featured attraction.
"They sounded good, they had a lot of fun doing it, and they were really, extremely happy to be playing as the opener for Snake Oil," said Dutton.
Spilchuk Meats had food available for people to enjoy.
Dutton pointed out it started to rain at 12:30 a.m. July 6, just as Snake Oil was playing its final song. Lots of people were still standing out in the rain an hour later. Dutton believes Hidden Valley received an inch of rain that night, but it didn't affect the concert.
He praised the Knights of Columbus for working hard in the heat throughout the week to convert the driving range into a concert area, and for putting on a great event for the community.
"Those guys are awesome to work with. They're a great volunteer team. They worked hard. Really hard. And they cleaned up … by one o'clock this afternoon," Dutton said on July 6.
"I'll do that again if they ever want to. I'll work with them on anything. It's a great crew."
The driving range had to be closed for a few days, but Dutton was pleased to be involved.
River Jamm was held following the Estevan Oilfield Technical Society's Mixed Golf Tournament at Hidden Valley's Hideout Golf Course. Dutton said he's not sure how much the tournament helped with attendance but he believes a lot of the golfers stuck around for the concert.
"It makes for a pretty busy day around here," said Dutton.
