For those who love to rock, we invited you: to Ridgefest, Westman's biggest local rock music festival!

I wrote last week about how I categorize each summer by events that took place and to this day I still think of the summer of 2004 as that of the first ever Ridgefest. That year, lifetime friends Lyall McDermid and Frank McGwire decided it was time to take there jam nights out of the basement and into the sun. The guys had been jamming together for years, both had bands that they were drumming with, but they were struggling to find venues to showcase their talent. They realized that this was a common problem for musicians across Westman and decided to do something about it.

Their objective has always been to showcase local talent and increase the fanbase all around. The first year was held at Deer Ridge golf course, which is how the name Ridgefest came about. The lineup that year included local bands: DEZL, Blacklite Buddha, F.U.G.R, Sweet Siren, The Whip, and many more.

Although it was successful, the organizers thought it would be ideal if they could somehow move the festival into city limits. Mike Plante, longtime music lover and spouse of Sweet Siren's lead singer Kitrina Plante, approached McDermid and McGwire and offered the Planet Kia Lot on 18th Street as a possible venue. They jumped on the offer and since 2005, Ridgefest has rocked on 18th North.

Like the little engine that could, every year the festival has gathered more and more steam. Now it has gone from a one-day event to a full out weekend which includes a kick off party on the Friday evening and closing show on Saturday at The 40. Planet Kia, and The 40 are just a few of the sponsors that have jumped on the Ridgefest band wagon. Thanks to the generous support of Smitty's Family Restaurant, Faders Music, Drover Power Sports, Webber printing and now Ted Good Music the boys have not only managed to put on a spectacular musical weekend, but have also donated a lot of money in the process.

For the first six years Ridgefest donated more than $4,000 to Westman Dreams for Kids and this year they are hoping to do the same for Westman Woman's Resource Center. Like the talent and festival itself, the organizers are devoted to keeping everything about Westman and area.

Speaking of growth, the talent has surged in the past few years and now it has reached a point where bands are lining up with the chance to be a part of the magic. McGwire and McDermid have approached this possible dilemma with a genius idea. Instead of having to do the dirty work of picking and choosing the bands themselves, they have left it up to us, the fans to decide.

This year they have left two slots open for up and coming bands to audition for. The groups submitted video/audio footage of their songs and the fans voted on who they would like to see on the bill. The winners this year included three piece band “This Side Up” who won 2nd place with their original tune “My Lonely Road”. The band reminds me of a young, raw Green Day. I think they have a lot of potential and I certainly am looking forward to their 9pm performance on Friday night at The 40 and the set they have planned for Saturday afternoon.

The first place finishers were “Frinal Frontier” with their song “Katherine”. I have to admit even though I don't know much about the group other than their song, I am already a fan. I listened to the song not once, not twice, but three times in a row. It is extremely catchy and fun to listen to. It has a youthful quality to it with a mix of maturity which makes me curious on the age of the group members. They sound so tight as a unit it makes me feel as though they have been playing together for a while. I will have to wait for their Saturday afternoon performance to find out for myself. They are also playing on the stage at The 40 on Saturday evening.

Rigefest also welcomes to the stage local fan favourites: Bassment Revival, Take With Audio, Janksta, T.I.M, Groove Kitchen, 18 Rabbit, Effect & Cause, F.U.G.R, and Blacklite Buddha. Although some of these names are familiar from the first show the guys have made a real effort to “include as many new or different bands as we can contact and fit into the schedule”. With a festival that includes so many talented musicians it promises to be a pretty wicked weekend! Tickets are only $10 at the gate and include your entry to the after party at The 40. Although all ages are welcome to the festival itself, only those 18 and older will be admitted into the Beer Gardens and The 40.

For more information go to: http://ridgefest.webs.com/