From: Jennifer Hanson, thenorthbaybay.ca staff
NORTH BAY — Those looking to party this summer will have to look down. Deep, deep down.
With “Summer in the Park” no longer running, City festival coordinators have decided to take a new approach, giving the annual event a new name and a “cooler, edgier” feel.
“This year’s festival will be called ‘Summer in the Dark,’” announced festival coordinator Ken Sharrow Friday morning. “And it will take place almost 700 feet below North Bay in the NORAD Underground Complex!”
Built in the 1960s, the NORAD Underground Complex is known locally as “The Hole.”
“We think it’ll be a fresh, novel approach,” says Sharrow. “Rocking out under North Bay in such a unique, 100% asbestos-free environment will be totally rad!”
Lots of Room, Food
Sharrow says The Hole has more than enough room for everyone.
“Collectively, there’s over 200 000 square feet down there, so there’s definitely room enough for everyone! Remember, the facility originally had a gym, a caf, a barber shop, almost a dozen meeting rooms and medical facilities, so people will have all sorts of room to eat, drink, and party on.”
Playing at the festival are “lots of local acts,” along with some “real big heavy hitters and fan favourites.”
“We’ve got 2 members from Deep Purple and the guitarist from Golden Earring,” smiles Sharrow. “And best of all, we’ve snagged Singer Flevën, which is a new Scandinavian solo tribute to Finger Eleven, who I know North Bay loved!”
“The best festival North Bay has ever seen!”
Sharrow and the Festival Committee are currently looking for food and drink vendors who would like to purchase permits for the event. But if no such vendors step forward, Sharrow says they’ll be no problem.
“The Hole has more than enough leftover food for everyone,” says Sharrow. “When it was closed up in 2006, the army left a LOT of canned foods down there, so now’s your chance to try re-hydrated beef enchiladas, vegetable omelettes, and Jamaican pork chops!”
Sharrow is confident that Summer in the Dark will be “the best festival North Bay has ever seen!”
“Just imagine your typical Heritage Festival, and then imagine it 680 feet underground in a partially sealed maze of concrete tunnels and corridors!”
“Also, since the whole thing is so deep underground, the bands don’t have to worry about noise and nobody has to fret over parking, or daylight, or going home.”
“Like, seriously, all the really exciting stuff happens later at night!” grins Sharrow. “After 2am, we’re going to shut off everything but the emergency lights and play ‘Blind Tag,’ ‘Marco-Polo,’ and ‘Whose Touching My Butt?!'”
Summer in the Dark will take place from June 14th to 16th, with wristbands going for $40 in advance or $50 at the mouth of the chasm.