Editor’s note – The following press release was received from Nathanial Brown of Boone, doing business as Nathanial Brown Productions. It is posted without edits.
JEFFERSON, IA – River Farm Recreation took a day off from motocross and partnered with Iowa Chill on June 22nd, 2019, to offer fellow Iowans a chance to gather and socialize around summer activities, food and music. Around 1300 individuals from around the state converged to the rural Greene County property for the 18+ event. Forecasts heading into the weekend predicted heavy rain for the duration of the event but attendees still poured in to brave the weather with campers in tow and their coolers full.
River Farm Summer bash offered a variety of unique summer activities for guests. The lake was certainly a hot spot once the sun peeked through mid-afternoon. Guests took advantage of the pontoon rides, kayaks and swimming while 30 teams competed in a sand volleyball tournament on the adjacent beach. Several vendors were also nearby the lake offering food and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase to guests. DJ RUN PNC and DJ Zimm kept things upbeat during the day events with their mixes while preparations for the live show were underway.
Three music artists were on the schedule for Saturday night: Rhys, a hip-hop artist from Cedar Rapids; Chris Heaton, an acoustic cover artist from Melcher-Dallas; and Nashville’s Rick Monroe. Rick Monroe is a part of the Monster Energy Music family, has played in 17 countries and has seen several tracks land on the Billboard charts. Unfortunately, due to a heightened risk of severe weather, Rick Monroe was the only artist to perform.
Even though Saturday’s event went from 11am to 11pm, preparation had been underway for months. “There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes to pull something like this off.” Owner Craig Flack said, “We have spent a lot of time making sure this event was safe for everybody. I’m not sure most people realize the massive effort it takes to host an event like this.” Over 50 staff members were on hand during the event to handle ID checks, parking, and security. Another 10 staff members worked throughout the day to accommodate the entertainment.
While the rain rolled in Saturday night, staff continued working around the clock to patrol the property and encourage safe activities for those staying overnight and the use designated drivers to attendees heading home or to the nearby Cobblestone Suites & Inns.
There are currently no official plans for any more events, but River Farm Recreation would like to see the Bash events grow in the years to come. “We plan to continue changing things for future events and adding more staff as we grow,” Flack added, “We just want everybody to have a place that they can have a safe and fun time.”
