Spokane, WA—The bottom of Pettet Drive is always memorable for Bloomsday runners, with the formidable Doomsday Hill ahead, but this year it also proved memorable because of the band that performed on the median there, Small Town Nation. The rock band captured the most votes in the seventh annual Best Bloomsday Entertainer contest, while precision bucket band Rhythm Envy and Christian rockers The VanMarter Project ended up in a dead heat for second.
Doomsday Hill bound or not, Bloomsday runners, joggers, walkers and wheelers seemed to enjoy the music, as they cast 117 votes for Small Town Nation out of a total of 1,105 that were cast in this year’s competition.
Small Town Nation, winners of the 2010 Best Bloomsday Entertainer contest.
“With the great weather we had this year, participants seemed to especially enjoy the performers along the route,” said Bloomsday Board Member Dori Robertson, who along with volunteer Laurel Warner organized the competition. “And just about all of our twenty-nine performers collected a fair number of votes.”
The twenty-nine different groups or individual performers that garnered votes as official Bloomsday entertainers this year included (in order by location along the course) the Cathedral Choir from Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, Tropical Penguins (Teen Rock Band), Too Many Men (Popular Variety), Accordion Joe (Accordion Music), Good Ole Stuff (Oldies), Shot 4 Sure (Country & Classic Rock), Specialty Music (Performer & DJ), Crimson Resolve (Rock), Pretty Arcade (Pop/Punk), Rhythm Envy (Precision Bucket Band), The Loose Ends (Variety/Rock/Country/Jazz), Spokane Christian Church Band (Christian Pop/Rock), The Awkward Silence (Rock Covers), Top-Soil (Rock), Uncalled Four Band (Classic Rock/Covers), Small Town Nation (Rock), Firecreek (Country/50’s & 60’s/Classic Rock), Camp Stix (Blues/Blues Swing/Blues Rock), The Danger Bears (Indie Band), SpoCon 2010 (Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fans/Costuming/Music/Entertainment), Stranglers of Bombay (Rock & Roll), Adrienne Bousquet (Solo Singer), Last Chance (Power Trio Rock), The VanMarter Project (Christian Rock), The Vagabonds and Their Bluegrass Boys (Eclectic Bluegrass & More), Random Generation (Classic Rock), Quarter Monkey (Original Rock), Green Light Go (Ska-Punk) and Finish Line Band (Christian Rock).
Small Town Nation will earn the top prize of $500 in this year’s Best Bloomsday Entertainer contest, while Rhythm Envy and the VanMarter Project will split the 2nd and 3rd place awards of $300 and $200. Additional cash rewards will be paid out through random drawings.
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