Picture of the Quonset Days grounds. News Photo Anna Smith.
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
The “greatest outdoor party on dirt” kicked off on Thursday night with their secret show, Jess Moskaluke, and is ready for a weekend visitors are unlikely to forget.
Quonset Days is a familiar event for the region, having originally begun in 2010 after the death of Peter Biemans, father of co-founder Trevor Biemans.
“It started as a tribute to my father, who had ALS and unfortunately passed away from the disease. There was not going to be a walk or run or golf tournament that year, so we decided to gather the neighbours and the friends that we could find,” said Biemans.
ALS is a disease that takes a person’s control of their motor functions, but they maintain their alertness and sense of touch throughout the progression of the illness. According to the Quonset Days website, the family was strongly motivated to raise money and awareness for the ALS Society of Alberta, while celebrating the life of their family member.
While the first Quonset Days was organized in only a little over a month, and raised over $7500, the current iteration of the event takes the majority of the year to plan, said Biemans, and regularly raises $100,000 between it and the other events held during the year.
Biemans noted that while they are grateful and pleased to see the higher fundraising numbers, it is ultimately about being able to celebrate and raise awareness, and anything raised will make an impact for the ALS Society.
With the official lineup starting tonight, Biemans said that while things look ready, he’ll likely only relax about halfway through Saturday, as that is when he’ll accept that it’s unlikely for anything unexpected to happen during the party.
This year’s lineup features both a long list of local talents, as well as a few big names playing later in the evenings.
“We have a pretty good lineup this year; well, I like to think we have a good lineup every year,” said Biemans. “We try to mix in a smattering of local bands. So we Phoenix, who has been with us since the beginning. We have Danczilla, we have Vanity Trip, we have Taking August and Fox and the Hounds for our Local Lineup.”
Biemans highlighted a few exciting names that will take the stage as the sun goes down out on the private acreage that hosts each year.
“We have Nice Horse coming down to us, and George Canyon following that on Friday, Saturday we have Steven Lee Olson going to kick off the big things followed by a live auction and then, of course, Brett Kissel, who we’re really excited to have our small neck of the woods,” said Biemans.
At the time of writing, tickets are still available for both days, both online and at the gate should they not sell out in the interim.
He advises those planning to attend to take advantage of the shuttles, ride-shares and taxis that will be available to transport people to and from the event, so that those not camping on site can enjoy themselves and arrive home safely afterwards.
“Just have fun with it. We have a live auction, we have a silent auction,” said Biemans. “We have lots of local food trucks, and then of course, the bands. We’re all raising money for a good cause, and we appreciate everyone who comes out.”
