Packed with music and art of all kinds, the Snake River Roaring Youth Jam is a free event put on by the Idaho Falls Art Council for the entire family to enjoy.
“It gets to highlight our community, it gets to highlight the beauty of the Greenbelt and people get to come down and have experiences they otherwise wouldn’t have,” said Brandi Newton, the executive director of the Idaho Falls Art Council.
This year’s theme ties in nicely with the Museum of Idaho’s current exhibit focus: pirates. Newton said people who attend the youth jam are, of course, encouraged to dress up accordingly to join in on the fun. The activities that will be available include 12-16 different activity booths, in which children and teenagers can create crafts or experiment with music.
“I don’t know that every teen wants to come down and make a craft out of a coffee filter, but they could,” Newton said with a smile.
The event doesn’t stop with the booth activities; the Greenbelt Main Stage will be alive with activity all day long with local performers, including bands, choirs, cheer squads, dance groups and anyone else who wants their chance in the spotlight.
The first night of the event, which will land on a Thursday, will feature the professional group Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand.
“To me, they are the perfect balance of natural talent – I mean, they’re amazingly talented musicians who write and create their own songs – but also very entertaining,” Newton said.
“They’re not going to just stand up there and play; they’re actually going to put on a show.”
Friday night will welcome the youth jam’s Battle of the Bands, one of the event's most anticipated aspects. All participants in each band must be under the age of 21, and the bands are judged by local professional performers.
“It is super fun to watch the gamut of rock music to violinists to folk artists,” Newton said. “It’s crazy just how talented they are, but it’s really cool to watch complete bands that are under 21 play really well and entertain the Greenbelt just like the professional act did the night before.”
Saturday is the third and final day, and while the youth jam packs up in the afternoon, the day still ends with a splash – the annual Idaho Falls Duck Race.
“What we love is that you can do things on both sides of the river [Saturday] and spend the entire day on the Greenbelt exploring everything,” Newton said, adding that the youth jam and duck race activities would be in full swing, plus the Farmer’s Market would be open that morning.
Newton said their event pulls in about 200 volunteers and has a few really great sponsors because they wouldn’t be able to put on this 100 percent free event without them.
“I think that really shows something about the heart of Idaho Falls,” she said. “People care enough about the city to actually make it better, not just sit back and wait for someone else to do the work.”
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Get Your Quack On: Idaho Falls Duck Race
The Snake River Roaring Youth Jam isn’t the only party that weekend – youth jammers will be joined by thousands of ducks that will race down the Snake River in the Great Snake River Greenbelt Duck Race August 8.
Put on by the Idaho Falls Rotary Club, the duck race is now in its 25th year of raising funds to help beautify and improve the Greenbelt.
The goal for duck adoptions this year is 18,000 rubber ducks, and the grand prize winner will receive a brand new, fully-loaded 2015 Ford F-150 pickup donated by Broadway Ford,
according to the duck race’s website. Other prizes include a season ski pass, a diamond necklace and various gift certificates.