Keeping Roots and Blues on an even keel is a job assigned to staff and a vast army of volunteers.
While the three-day festival played out in a laid-back groove, there were issues around security and first-aid, many of them fuelled by alcohol.
Salmon Arm RCMP report they were busy, but not overwhelmed with calls related to Roots and Blues.
Eleven people were arrested Friday night for drug and alcohol offences and 17 were held in cells Saturday night.
The only serious incident took place Saturday night outside the festival grounds, when an intoxicated man threw a ball at a police officer, hitting him in the face. After being told to settle down, police had to return to deal with the man, who then became combative. The man was arrested, along with a second man who tried to intervene and assaulted the officers conducting the arrest. Others joined in the fray and were also arrested for refusing to leave, or interfering with officers.
None were from Salmon Arm. All were released in the morning when sober and charges are pending against two men.
“The festival was well attended and from a policing perspective was well organized. The vast majority of those attending the festival were having fun, in good spirit and happy to see the police presence,” said Sgt. Carlos Tettolowski.
Overall, executive director Hugo Rampen was pleased with how the beer gardens were managed with the help of B.C. Liquor Board inspectors.
“We use their criticisms as a tool to perfect our systems,” he says. “We don’t know everything, and they offered their guidance so we were happy they did come.”
He acknowledges complaints from security manager Dan Shields that several young people were passing liquor over the fence. Rampen says volunteers are trying to be more vigilant but are limited by the layout of the site.
He says Roots and Blues has an excellent relationship with local RCMP.
“I think we have a good detachment, we work closely with Staff Sgt. Keane and his team,” he says. “They buy into how important the festival is and they like our organization.”
Rampen says he watched the police diffuse “a couple of thugs,” and other situations with professionalism, including a group of Dutch tourists who didn’t understand they couldn’t walk around with open liquor.
“Once the situation was explained, it wasn’t escalated and everyone went on their way.”
Nurse Sandy Burgess says some 325 people showed up at the first aid station over the three days, something she describes as being par for the course.
“Mostly it’s little things that people can prepare for, but an ambulance was called for in two instances – one broken ankle and a leg that required sutures to close a cut. A more serious issue was averted when a paramedic tended to a young man who suffered heatstroke after drinking too much without eating.