River Jamm brought another night of music and community connection to Hidden Valley Golf and RV Resort this past weekend, drawing strong attendance and raising money for local causes.
Organizer Kim Skjonsby with the Knights of Columbus Estevan Council 3165 says the event was another big success. “It was another fantastic event, very successful,” he said. “Right at the moment, with our volunteers, we feel about 1,150 attended the event.”
Now in its second year, River Jamm saw some small changes to improve the experience. “Just some slight modifications. A little change in the layout of the fencing and the stages and where the bathrooms were, and a little bit of lighting. We built on last year a little bit,” Skjonsby explained.
The night featured entertainment by Snake Oil, Leathers and Lace, and The Ugly Strippers, with food provided by Spilchuck Meats and Catering.
While the night is all about bringing people together for live outdoor music, Skjonsby says it also doubles as a major fundraiser for the Knights of Columbus and their local charitable efforts.
“All our money stays within the community. We support youth sports and education, and among other things, the Salvation Army and the Christmas Hamper programs,” he said. “This year, we allocated $10,000 towards the City of Estevan’s Park project.”
With the event’s growing success, the Knights have been able to expand their giving. “Minor baseball, we gave them five grand last year towards their new batting cages. We’ve done that in the past, but it’s maybe going to be a little bit more frequent where we put the money just because we are bringing in a lot more dollars than we used to.”
Skjonsby said outdoor concerts like River Jamm are something special in Estevan. “It’s just such a fun-filled evening. Everybody really enjoys it and having that outdoor atmosphere, and good music.”
While the hope is to return next year, Skjonsby admits it takes a lot of effort from the organizing team. “It depends. We have many members, but we have a key group. Last year, we had quite a few more [people] working on the setup. This year, eight or ten of us were there every day trying to get it set up, and it is quite a chore.”
He said this year's cleanup went smoothly, with everything packed up and hauled away by about 2:30 a.m. the next morning.
The event would not be possible without the help of dozens of volunteers and strong community support. “I don’t have the exact number, but for the evening, I would say we probably had 50 or 60 volunteers working bar, tickets, gates, security, whatnot,” he said.
He gave a special thank you to Brad and Sandra Dutton of Hidden Valley Golf and RV Resort for providing the venue, and to the many others who helped make the event a success.
Close to 50 sponsors supported the event, donating equipment such as fencing, picnic tables, lighting, and generators. Organizers said their contributions were essential to making the event happen.
Skjonsby summed up River Jamm simply: “Back-to-back, best party, best friends I’ve ever seen.”