The organizers of the first Otter Creek Jam Fest already have their sights set on hopefully doing it again next year.
The two-day event took place this past Friday and Saturday in Wallaceburg and included Canadian rock talents such as Trooper and Tom Cochrane.
The Jam Fest was a year in the making. The idea for the festival came up in 2018 after a Wallaceburg-area farmer Dennis Debot spoke with Bill Wolsing, the 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.
Organizer and Wallaceburg Councillor Aaron Hall said they are thrilled that the event was able to come together.
"It was some world-class entertainment for our community," he said. "It was a bit surreal at times because it felt like it could have been anywhere in Ontario -- or Canada for that matter. We were right in Wallaceburg having an awesome rock concert so it was really cool and it was a lot of fun."
Hall said one of the highlights -- besides watching the bands -- was seeing all the hard work come to fruition.
"We actually got to go up on stage as well and kind of greet the crowd and say 'hi' to everyone that was there," he said. "It was emotional, definitely but it was a culmination of all of our work... it was kind of cool to celebrate that."
What a surreal experience holding the inaugural Otter Creek Jam Fest ? I’m thankful to be a part of this incredible team who dedicated countless hours so we could all #RockWallaceburg ???? @CreekFest @TomCochraneMUS @Trooper #Wallaceburg pic.twitter.com/TXwjkm7tq9
— Aaron Hall (@Aaron__Hall) August 6, 2019
Overall, Hall said he is incredibly happy with how the event turned out.
"We got some amazing feedback from those in attendance that said it looked like we had been running this event for four or five years," he said.
Despite this being the first year for Jam Fest, Hall said he thinks it was a great start for the organizing committee and laid a foundation for future events.
"We're going to assess it, we're going to assess what went well, what needs to be improved and what we maybe needs to change for next year," he said. "I think a lot of that stuff was trivial. I don't think anyone would have noticed some of those details that we would have behind the scenes. I thought it went really well."
There are no confirmed numbers yet as to how many people attended Otter Creek Jam Fest, however, it is under review.
"We wish we could have gotten some more people through but we're absolutely thrilled with the people that turned out," he said. "Everyone that came out, they had a great time; the vibe and the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic!"
A portion of the proceeds from Otter Creek Jam Fest will go directly to the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Hall said the donation amount is still being calculated.
The goal is to make this festival an annual event in Wallaceburg. However, that is not 100 per cent confirmed yet, as Hall said the Otter Creek Jam Fest Committee will start working on next year's plan over the next couple of months.
"I'm hoping that we can do it again. That's what we were striving for and I hope that happens."