Smoke on the Water, the annual 鈥渂lock party鈥� event at Duck Mountain Provincial Park which brings together district communities for an evening of fellowship, food and entertainment, is 小蓝视频 held August 4 in support of the KamKids Daycare and the Madge Lake recreation hall.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 While the three previous block parties were held as fundraisers for the Assiniboine Valley Health Centre in Kamsack, this year funds raised will go to the Daycare which has begun raising money for a new facility, and to the Park to help it restore the rec hall, Rob Ritchie of Kamsack, a prime organizer of the event, said last week.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 KamKids Daycare, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, was originally licensed for 33 children and was recently expanded to 48 and there鈥檚 still a long waiting list, said Nicky Ruf, chair of the Daycare board. It is and always has been located in several rooms at Crowstand Centre, where its space was recently expanded.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Although Ruf said the Crowstand Centre has served well for the Daycare, she said the board and parents are excited about the possibility of a new facility which is expected to cost about $1 million.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e plan to undertake other fundraisers,鈥� she said, adding that they鈥檙e confident the Daycare could fill as many as 60 spots.
鈥淜amsack is booming. There are a lot of new families with children. It鈥檚 great.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 During the previous three Smoke on the Water events, more than $250,000 was raised for the Health Centre, Ritchie said, explaining that although admission is at no charge, funds are raised with the sale of the smoked barbecue dinner and drinks.
The majority of money is raised by the sponsors, he said.
鈥淎lthough we鈥檙e raising money for the Daycare, we will be donating a portion to Duck Mountain Provincial Park,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he Park has been so generous to us so we will be helping it renovate the rec hall. A new roof has been installed and offices are 小蓝视频 formed to make the building more useable than it has been.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Smoke on the Water is a local event, and it鈥檚 local business which propel it, Ritchie said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 At the site, which is the Fern Campground, or the 鈥渙ld ball diamond,鈥� the area is fenced and will include a tent measuring 100 feet by 40 feet.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This year, for the second consecutive year, In Good Taste of Togo will be catering the meal.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲e enjoy catering the event,鈥� said Ruf who is also an owner of the catering company. 鈥淚t is a great opportunity to show what we do locally and it鈥檚 such a fun atmosphere.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Last year there were 500 meals sold and about 750 people attending, Ritchie said, urging persons to consider purchasing their meal tickets in advance at the Kamsack Petro-Canada outlet so that the caterers will have a better idea on the number of people they will be serving.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A specially-sanctioned event by the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, Smoke on the Water has become a well-known fun time and many people now book their summer vacations so that they can attend the event, he said. The annual Saskatchewan Day civic holiday fireworks display is 小蓝视频 held the following night.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ritchie and Ruf said that holding the event requires the involvement of about 50 volunteers and those interested in volunteering to help carry it out or by 小蓝视频 a sponsor may contact him at [email protected].
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The Ryan Keown band is the featured entertainment who will be on stage performing at this year鈥檚 Smoke on the Water.
Keown (pronounced Cowan) started his career early and by the age of 14 he had a large enough following that he was hired to start playing bars, says information on his website.
鈥淔rom there, Ryan's passion, experience and confidence has grown immensely. Ryan was the first ever Dauphin's Countryfest Talent Search Champion (1996) and was crowned the Bud Country Talent Search Winner. This led Ryan to record his first two-song CD and to a Dauphin's Countryfest Mainstage appearance as well as opening concerts for Charlie Major, Prairie Oyster, and more recently, Aaron Pritchett.
鈥淩yan's popularity has continued to grow, and in 2014 he recorded two singles that were released nationally with both of Ryan's singles charting in Canada at number 55 (Guilty As Charged) and number 62 (Nothin') respectively.鈥�
Keown was selected by the Manitoba Country Music Association to represent his province in the 2014 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Coast to Coast Showcase in Edmonton.
He released his third single Amen and was recently rewarded with the 2015 Single of the Year for this song at the Manitoba Country Music Association Awards Show. He showcased in 2015 at the CCMA's in Halifax for the Diamonds In The Rough Showcase and was selected by Tom Jackson to perform for his live performance workshop seminar.
鈥淩yan Keown exploded in 2016, winning both MCMA Male Artist and Fans鈥� Choice awards. Now his latest release Best Thing is approaching the Top 40 on both the Mediabase and Billboard charts.
鈥淎fter a successful radio tour of Western Canada, Ryan is definitely an artist who is on the rise!
鈥淲hile often 小蓝视频 compared to a modern day Travis Tritt, Ryan dives head first into country songs with attitude and grit, but more importantly a message,鈥� the information says. 鈥淩yan connects immediately with his audience and has a commanding stage presence which makes him extremely popular at his live shows.鈥�
