Sharbot Lake Beach Bash Celebrates Second Year

Jeff Green | Aug 23, 2023

The weather cleared up just in time for the start of the second annual BBQ Beach Bash, presented by the Country Music Association (Ontario), in Sharbot Lake on August 12th

The sound system, which had been set up during the sunny morning weather before the rain set in, was released from its tarps, the folks from Seed to Sausage and Frenchie’s fired up their grills, the beer tent opened up, and the bands were ready to bring the sounds of Ontario Country Music to Sharbot Lake.

And, although the numbers were less than they likely would have been, about 400 people showed up ready to eat, drink, and listen.

And they were not disappointed. The early evening bands, Rosewood Avenue and Lemon Cash, got the evening rolling, and then Dayna Reid took the stage. Her set included her latest releases She’s Me and her newest The Way you Lie, and by the time she was finished the audience was ready to rock with the headliners for the evening, River Town Saints, featuring some of their popular songs, Bonfire, What Ya Doin’ Tonight, and this summer’s She Got That.

Event organisers learned a lot from the first edition of the bash. The fenced off area of the beach was smaller, creating more atmosphere, and the food and beer setup were easy to access and enjoy. The crowd of about 400, according to Sam Arraj from Seeds Accounting, the major sponsor behind the Bash, built throughout the night, and were fully engaged by the time River Town Saints hit the stage.

“We were very pleased with how it all worked out. The weather co-operated in the end, the turnout was great for the 2nd year of the event, and the local community certainly came out to support the concert. We really benefited from the volunteers and the Rec Committee, otherwise it would not have been a success,” said Sam Arraj.

Soon, planning will start for next year’s Beach Bash.

“We learned a lot from last year, and we will take quite a few lessons from this year as well,” said Arraj. The timing of the Bash worked well in a local context, being one week before the Parham Fair and a week after the August Long Weekend and Blue Skies Music Festival, but it did coincide with Boots and Hearts, a mega country festival held at the Oro-Medonte Festival site in the Barrie area.

“We will look at dates for next year, but we are happy with the beach as a site,” Arraj said.

He is hoping to see continued growth of the festival over the next three or four years, and perhaps then the site may no longer be large enough.

“We are very happy about how year 2 went, and appreciate all the local sponsors and community support. We'll be back at the beach next year.” said Arraj, who did not hesitate when asked who his favourite band of the night was.

“Definitely River Town Saints. They loved it and everybody loved them,” he said.