Canadian Country music legend George Fox at Raymore Summer Slam on Sunday night. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Raymore Summer Slam

Raymore summer slam finds success with country music acts

Aug 6, 2019 | 10:28 AM

Despite some ‘trying years,’ the Raymore Summer Slam committee is coming off its eighth event.

The community with a population of around 650, more than doubled over the weekend as numerous country acts took the main stage.

This year’s event saw country legends George Fox and Blackhawk close out Sunday night. Saturday featured Doc Walker and Brad Johner and the Johner boys among others.

90s country music sensation, Blackhawk on stage at Raymore Summer Slam. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

Committee Member Aaron Millar said the event is not always a huge money maker but they plan to continue to grow the event each year.

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“Last year we were down quite a bit and I don’t have a clue on numbers right now but I have a feeling we are back to 2017 which was our peak,” Millar said.

The summer slam was inspired by an event that was put together after a tornado struck the Raymore area in 2010, and devastated four farm families. That year, $100,000 was raised in total to result in $25,00 for each family.

In 2012, the Raymore entertainment fund committee was formed. The committee expanded on the idea and brought in classic rock band Trooper.

Millar said they’ve had some pretty big names grace the stage including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Gord Bamford, Sammy Kershaw, High Valley, and Chad Brownlee.

“We have pretty much have gone all to country now,” Millar said. “We’ve just found that country is by far the best selling demographic here so for the two main nights. We are solid country now.”

A large crowd gathers to take in country music acts at Raymore Summer Slam on Sunday night. (Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

Ticket trends have actually proven that 80s and 90s country bring out the biggest crowd.

“We will probably stick with that trend because it has treated us good,” Millar said.

He said at this point, the event brings in enough funds to pay for the next year on top of funds for community groups who lend a hand over the weekend.

“We’ve made it available for community groups to run the canteen, bar, and gates so we do give a lot of money back to community that way,” Millar said.

According to Millar, the committee has been able to put $73,000 in upgrades over the years at the sports grounds where the event takes place.

“It might not always be the most profitable event but it’s touching a lot of different organizations and I’d say it’s a success regardless just with what we’ve helped everyone else with,” Millar said.

He is hoping the event will continue to grow by a couple hundred people each year.

“I think this year was a big stepping stone for us. I think we’ve done very well here so hopefully next year we will see a big pump in attendance again,” Millar said.

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angie.rolheiser@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser