"It's a new frontier they say. It's wide open, anything can happen."
-D. Kennedy
362, 363, 364... it's finally here! Personally, I too was shocked when I first realized that a sandwich existed worthy enough of a year-long countdown. Now however, each and every Squamish Days Logger Sports weekend I eagerly await the big events where one can boldly approach the vendor and say "one beef barbecue please".
That's right, Loggers Sports weekend is upon us and that means year 47 for the Rotary Beef Barbecue and the most incredible hunk of meat ever to be slow cooked over a bed of alders. Who knows? Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the beer garden, maybe it's the amazing athletes hurling saws and themselves from mighty heightswhatever the reason, the experience is one not to be missed.
And as I sit there enjoying a feast for the senses, I once again think how lucky we are to have such a great event and, what's more, such a great facility. The Al McIntosh Squamish Days Loggers Sports Grounds has proven itself worthy of praise over and over again and this year is no different. In its long history there must be a million stories to be told. The one that still gets me is the appearance of none other then the late great man in black, Johnny Cash. What I wouldn't give to see June Carter and Johnny ripping up the grounds back in the day.
Now that's the kind of kick-ass entertainment that gets one to thinking, why do the grounds get used so little? Publicly, we have the annual Loggers Sports weekend and in recent years the Test of Metal has shown it can be a great finish line. Then there's the occasional private logger shows. Even so, it would seem that our extended spring and fall calendar gives us ample opportunity for booking some showcase entertainment.
Which leaves us, once again, staring directly at another underutilized gem in our midst. The Loggers Sports grounds would be perfect for exactly what it is - an all-day concert venue. Who could ask for better than to have beer gardens, bleachers and even books of log.
It's been water cooler talk in the halls of power, but with plates so full it's really just an opportunity waiting to be seized. I suppose all we need now is a concert promoter who has the gumption and the plan to make the place rock (or country, or punk or even kids, funk, bluegrass...you get the idea).
So now, the planning stage. This year's outdoor concert season is almost at an end leaving plenty of time to get some big balls rolling for next year.
In the meantime, we'll just have to place an order, sit back, and enjoy yet another opportunity to sample the Squamish Days spirit.
