Jamboree to pack Bridgetown with talent

By Lawrence Powell

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

Summer in Bridgetown may never be the same after Steve Clayton gets through with it. He plans to pack the town with so much talent on August 25 that it could take weeks for the echo of music to fade from the rafters at the arena.

Best known for organizing and promoting hockey and ball tournaments in the town, Clayton is turning his abilities to entertainment with the First Annual Amateur Talent Showcase Jamboree, a hodgepodge of music, dance, and comedy he hopes will bring performers from across the Valley and even from as far away as the South Shore and Yarmouth.

And with virtually no promotion to date, he's already receiving indications of interest from amateur performers who see the Bridgetown stage as a great venue in which to test their skills.

Clayton said he's hoping to attract bands from country, bluegrass, and rock, to blues and other genres. But he's not limiting the showcase to just bands. He said it's open to karaoke, dancing, singing, and even comedy.

Clayton said performers will have 20 to 30-minute sets on a stage set up with a sound system, lights, and possibly video. A professionally prepared program will detail exactly when each performer will take to the stage. Early planning indicates that the jamboree will start at 10 a.m. and go all day and into the evening.

In addition, entertainers will have a special rate for two nights at a local campground. Sites can be book by calling 665-2801.

Performers will also be issued dressing rooms so they have time to prepare and have appropriate access to the stage when it's their time to take to the stage.

The jamboree is still in the initial planning stages, and Clayton said lots of additions and frills may be added -- such as a play area for children -- as the event unfolds.

Clayton said that depending on response, the event could go over two days. Sponsors for the jamboree are the Bridgetown Community Recreation Association and the Bridgetown Lions Club. All proceeds are in support of the Bridgetown Arena.

Anyone interested in signing up as a performer can contact Clayton by email at sclayton@ns.sympatico.ca, or write to PO Box 92, Bridgetown, B0S 1C0. Booking deadline is Saturday, June 30.