JulyFest coordinator Dave Clarke and the Kimberley Chamber Manager and Board could not be more pleased at how the JulyFest weekend went.
“We couldn’t ask for anything better,” Clarke said Monday.
“The dance at the arena (featuring Wide Mouth Mason and Big Sugar) sold out. We closed down ticket sales at the door when we had about 1400 inside.
“We also got to capacity in the bocce pits Friday evening and had to stop letting people in.”
That caused a bit of confusion, Clarke said, because they still had to let bocce teams who were playing late draws in, leading to a lot of people claiming they were bocce players.
“We got it all figured out,” he said.
“But there was a little confusion there for a bit. There were more people than expected at the bocce pits.”
Clarke says the high numbers had to do with a few factors, in his estimation.
“First, I think the bands were a draw. Wide Mouth Mason and Big Sugar drew people in. We had a lot of online sales and lot of them were from Alberta and even further away, like Toronto.”
Clarke also believes that last year’s fest being such a big success was a lure.
“We did a really good job last year and I think people appreciated that and returned,” he said.
Simple things like reconfiguring the lines to the beer sales tent so they didn’t interfere with traffic flow to the bocce pits made a big difference, he says.
The weather cooperated as well — not too hot but no rain.
But the biggest key as always are the volunteers, Clarke says.
“The volunteers did an incredible job. We couldn’t do it with out them. A big thank you to all our volunteers and sponsors.”