The Road Hammers keep on rocking in Boyle

Hometown artist Kory Wlos returned to open annual Fiesta Days concert

BOYLE – Country music fans from Boyle and the surrounding area were in for a treat Saturday night, thanks to a double feature of two bands with ties to the region. Hometown boy Kory Wlos opened for The Road Hammers, a Juno-winning band that headlined this year’s concert, held Saturday, July 11, as the Boyle Chamber of Commerce and a variety of community groups continue to grow the village’s Fiesta Days. “We’re trying to bring back our community so that we can work together, live together, and play together,” said organizer Lisa Ball.

“We’re trying to get our volunteer groups and our volunteers working together as one in our community. During COVID and after COVID, it separated most of the population.” This year’s event was the second time the Chamber has organized a show in parallel with the annual Fiesta Days slow pitch tournament, which brings teams from across the region into Boyle for the weekend.

Last year, Gord Bamford stopped in Boyle as part of his 25th anniversary tour, and Ball said the committee was looking to build on the success from that event when they got started planning the event. “We start with a list of about 20 Albertan and Canadian country music artists, and then we look at the price value. That’s huge for us, because this is just our second one,” said Ball.

Ball said the group was excited to bring Kory Wlos back home to open the event and play during the afterparty. “With Kory featuring before and after, it adds another country element, and a local element for us. He’s a huge success in our eyes,” she said.

Following Wlos was the main event, with The Road Hammers bringing their unique spin on country rock and trucker country music, mixed with a wave of sound and light, to the more than 700 people in attendance. The four-piece band played a variety of their hits, including “I’m a Road Hammer” and “Mud” – as well as a new, then-unreleased song, “Till the Wheels Fall Off.” “We might change it up in future years, but country music is good because it’s a family event.

If you’re five-to-85, everyone is welcome. This was a little more country rock, but I think the genre is a really good fit right now with what we’re looking for,” said Ball. While the total amount of money raised has yet to be tallied, the Chamber is waiting for its final report from ShowPass – Ball said an estimated 750 people attended the concert.

A live auction, as well as a square raffle for a variety of prizes donated by local companies, helped boost the amount raised. Ball said the Chamber, as well as the 11 other volunteer groups that helped make the event possible, would keep working to bring some of the past fervour back to Fiesta Days. “We used to have a carnival, a circus, ball games, it was just unbelievable when we were growing up,” she said.

Nowadays, the main event is the slow pitch tournament, organized by Robyn Jackson, which featured 16 teams this year, up from 12 the year before. Ball said the goal is to keep growing both sides of the event with each passing year. “It’s been great.

The community comes together; everybody wants this, and everybody needs activities, especially after the long winter that we had,” she said.