Barb Brouwer
Contributed
And now for something completely different.
While it might seem familiar, Son of Stomp, planned for Silver Creek July 23 to 26, has new organizers.
Organizers of the original Summer Stomp, which ended after a 30-year run last year in Sicamous, said they are not involved.
Steve Hammer, who was one of the chief organizers for 26 years, said the stomp ended on a high note with generous donations to area charities.
“I am finished, I am completely retired,” he said.
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Fellow organizer Wade Stewart said he is also not involved with the Son of Stomp event, but fully supports it.
“I am really looking forward to going and enjoying a few beers,” he said.
New organizer Diane Gloux, volunteered at the stomp for the past 19 years, and said she simply wants to bring back the kind of event she enjoyed for many years.
“I am not the stomp. We burned a ‘rest in peace’ T-shirt to signify that,” she said. “But Son of Stomp is about camaraderie, a new party rising from the ashes and following in dad’s footsteps with the nickname S.O.S.”
Gloux acquired all the assets when the Summer Stomp ended—items such as bike games, stage, bar, picnic tables and an old cube storage van. She said RV and tent camping will be available, with portable toilets on site, from Friday to Sunday and organizers will provide their own security crew for the weekend event.
“I’m keeping the party going. There’s nothing like it in the community,” she said.
The event will be held at 1908 Salmon River Road, where property owners Peter and Teunie Dekker are legally allowed to host a private party with up to 200 people.
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While there are still many details to sort out, Gloux said she wanted to get the word out because many bike riders use their vacation time to travel a circuit of summer bike rallies—Invermere Horse Thief Hideout, Fruitvale Rally in the Beaver Valley and Rock Creek’s Boogie Bash.
A Saturday poker run is planned at SOS, something Gloux said will provide an opportunity for out-of-towners and locals to travel the area’s beautiful back roads.
“I know there’s a process to go through, but I needed to get the information out because of the other events,” she said. “Now I have to jump through all these hoops.”
The property is located in Electoral Area D of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
“(All) we have to say is that we have not received any communication or applications regarding the Son of Stomp event,” said Columbia Shuswap Regional District communications co-ordinator Tracy Hughes in a written statement. “We have been made aware of it only through social media. The CSRD will be looking into it.”
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Gloux said she spoke to a CSRD employee who referred her to another department, which she attempted to reach by phone on Jan. 17.
She said there is a radical difference between “bikers” and riders and it is easy to put people down for riding Harleys Davidson motorcycles.
“Everyone loves music, so let us enjoy our music our way,” she said. For information on Son of Stomp, look for them on Facebook.