Music fans will soon be able to enjoy a country filled weekend as the Boscombe Community Centre hosts on the 16th annual Hillbilly Jam July 15-17.
“The event grew out of our country coral indoor shows," said Guy Bouchard, one of the event organizers. “Then we decided to try it outside and it just grew from there."
The outdoor music festival features multiple stages and an outdoor dance floor. Admission to the event and camping for the weekend are both paid by donation. All proceeds from the event will be put towards the Boscombe Community Centre.
“It's good for the community to come out since it supports the Boscombe Community Centre and everyone can afford it since it's done by donation," Bouchard said. “It's mostly a musical event, we have an open stage, a band scramble and then the main stage."
The band scramble involves individual musicians, who are grouped by their skills such as vocalist, guitar players and drum players. These individuals are then divided up at random to form new bands each with a vocalist and full band. The new band members are given 15 minutes to rehearse and then must perform for the audience. Bouchard said it is one of the fun events at the festival.
In addition to the musical performances, the Hillbilly Jam also puts on a pancake breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., but music is by far the main focus of the event.
Performers from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan will be attending the event as well as many talented local performers. There is even a bluegrass group from Edmonton that usually makes an appearance, said Bouchard. The event features mostly country music and shows off many different aspect of the genre.
“The young folks sing modern country, the old folks sing older country, the bluegrass group sings bluegrass and then we have gospel on Sunday," Bouchard said. “It's a three-day event everyone can take part in without being too hard on their wallets."
