Quarry Springs rocks on in Colfax despite heat, competing events

COLFAX — When the nonprofit Colfax Park and Recreation Auxiliary Board set the date for Saturday’s Rock the Quarry concert, organizers thought they’d hit the jackpot — a late spring date with little competition from Newton or Des Moines events.

But the calender quickly began to be filled with Newton Fest, a surprise concert by Metallica in Newton the night before, Winefest and Faith Hill and Tim McGraw in Des Moines. Couple that with a 95 degree evening, and the second annual Quarry Springs Park concert fundraiser held its own.

Before the opening act — Iowa rock-blues band Big Bad Wolf — took the stage at 6 p.m., park and rec auxiliary promotions and marketing chair Patrick Utz said volunteers had 150 pre-sale tickets at $10 a piece for Saturday’s Rock the Quarry.

“We didn’t sell quite as many pre-sale tickets as last year, so we weren’t sure what kind of crowd we would get. But I’d say we’re getting there as far as what wanted,” he said.

Combined with ticket sales at the gate, the crowd gathered at the 480-acre park off Interstate 80 in Colfax did hit the 150 mark. A final fundraising total was not available by presstime Monday.

But the big change this year, Utz said, is sponsorship. Businesses is Colfax, Prairie City and Des Moines stepped up for the 2017 Rock the Quarry series, and that money was used to book the bands and provide the stage, so any revenue in ticket sales and 50/50 raffle can be put right back into the park.

Beyond food and beverages from Colfax restaurants Cocina Hernandez, The Thirsty Turtle and Georgioz Pizza, the Colfax-Mingo Music Booster also provided popcorn and snacks at Saturday’s concert by request of 2016 concert attendees.

Utz said one reason organizers anticipate a built-in fan base is Rock the Quarry fills a spot left vacant by the cancellation of the annual Music in the Park concert series put on by Colfax Main Street.

In 2017, Rock the Quarry also boosted the bill from two to four bands. Saturday featured Big Bad Wolf, Dogfathers and Nate Butler and the Geezers.

The fourth band was a returning group from last year’s Rock the Quarry, the Des Moines teen trio formerly known as Lux. The group presents a duel-acoustic guitar and tight vocal front and bass backing, with a repertoire of 90s pop hits including Alanis Morissette and Natalie Imbruglia.

The band members, who go by first name-only Greta, Isabella and Stella, said they love the outdoor venue in Colfax.

“I really like being outside. It’s open. I like when people are surrounded like a community. It’s fun,” Greta said.

Quarry Springs has been in development since 2014. Owned by the city, landscaping, shoreline work on the park’s four lakes and existing building improvements have all been covered by grants, monetary giving and donated time by park and rec auxiliary volunteers. An indoor archery range also opened at the park last winter.

A 15-year master plan developed for the park by the community and Confluence Architects of Des Monies was unveiled last year. It includes eventual retail, water-view condos, RV, cabin and extended tent camping, primitive nature areas, a beach and a cable park.

When Rock the Quarry music coordinated Dennis Farland and Utz took the stage Saturday, they mentioned plans for a new boat dock and a nature trail in the near future. Electric boat motors have recently been cleared for the Quarry Springs lakes.

Volunteers are already busy at work making Rock the Quarry a bi-annual fundraiser, with the next concert scheduled for Sept. 16. Advanced tickets are already on sale for $10. Park and rec auxiliary president Doug Garrett and Farland announced the bill Sunday which includes Newton-based Slipstream and the Harvest Band. Colfax rock-acoustic guitarist Richard Arndt will also treat Quarry visitors between main sets.

In the two years since the property was donated to the city of Colfax from Martin Marietta, Inc., volunteers have clocked more than 16,000 hours of labor, marketing and organizational meetings for Quarry Springs, and it continues to draw new faces like 28-year-old Mike Fraiser.

Fraiser recently moved from Alaska to a farm outside of Newton to live with family. He saw a flyer for Rock the Quarry and decided it was the perfect break from a stretch of 12-hour work days.

“The park is beautiful,” Fraiser said while playing catch with his black lab as Big Bad Wolf jammed on stage. “I walked around before we came out to the band stand, and the park is gorgeous. It’s just good music for it being this small of an event. It’s surprising there aren’t more people here. It’s definitely better than planting tomatoes.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com