As they put on the final touches, organizers of Otter Creek Jam Fest are promising a 'rockin' time' at the two-day concert event.
The inaugural music festival takes place on August 2 and 3 in Wallaceburg and will feature big-name Canadian rock talent including Trooper and Tom Cochrane.
According to Brian Armitage, one of the festival's organizers, the event will feature a total of eight different bands. Each day will start off with the winners of the Otter Creek Jam Fest band contest hitting the stage from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.
On Friday, Aerosmith tribute band Aeroforce will perform at 7 p.m. The night will then finish off with headlining band Trooper, known for a string of hits including "We're Here for a Good Time (Not a Long Time)," coming on at 9 p.m.
The event will continue on Saturday and will feature some local talent that won the band contest.
"We have Classic Vibe, who's actually a Wallaceburg-based band," explained Armitage. "Just a really great, tight rock and roll band."
Another iconic rock band will be paid tribute to on Saturday evening and according to Armitage, it's almost like you're seeing the real thing.
"We have the Crush band, which is a John Bon Jovi Tribute and I'm telling you, if you just listen to the audio, you think you're listening to Jon Bon Jovi," he said
The festival will be capped off on Saturday night with a performance by "Life is a Highway" hitmaker Tom Cochrane with Red Rider.
The event takes place on a 60-acre piece of farmland at the corner of Margaret Avenue and Kimball Road, on the outskirts of Wallaceburg. Armitage and his fellow event organizers have transformed the field into the festival grounds and have brought in, as Armitage describes it, "enough power to power Wallaceburg."
The idea for the festival came in 2018 after Wallaceburg-area farmer Dennis Debot talked to Bill Wolsing, chair WAMBO, about bringing a new event to the area. Since then, Armitage, Wolsing, and Debot, along with organizers Paul Dineno, Chris Zelina and Aaron Hall, have been preparing for the event.
"We took our lessons, we've been touring different festivals, different events. One thing that we really learned from the Plowing Match is what happens if it rains, Armitage explained. "So the field is tiled, that's a plus and we've planted alfalfa... to give it a root system, to give it a nice bedding and everything else."
Tickets for the fest can be purchased in person at Pizazz! Florals & Balloons in Chatham or at Taylor's Convenience in Wallaceburg. They can also be purchased online by clicking here or at the door the day of the event. A portion of the proceeds from Otter Creek Jam Fest will go directly to the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
For more information and a complete schedule of events click here.