Rockfest '96, a new fund-raiser for Flathead CARE, took to the stage Sept. 14, despite rainy weather, and ended with exceptional reviews from students.
The event, held for Flathead Valley ninth through 12th graders, featured high school bands The Habit, No Solution, Hara Kiri and Utter.
There was also plenty of 'inflatable fun', including the bungee run, Sumo wrestling, gladiator jousting and a velcro wall.
Moshing was allowed and several people were crowd surfing. However, event coordinator Jeff Buscher asked the crowd to settle down after one girl was reportedly trampled during No Solution's set.
"It took a while for people to get into it," said Rory Brown of Utter. "But once they did, it was awesome."
In between bands, people took advantage of the alternative entertainment.
"It was awesome being stuck upside down on the velcro wall!" said senior Stacey Pitts.
Buscher, a youth minister and last year's president of CARE, said the purpose of Rockfest was to provide kids with some "good, clean fun," free from drugs and alcohol.
"It's a lot of work and coordination by our volunteers," said CARE president Donna Danz. "But when you see the kids having so much fun, you know it's worth it."
"It's pretty cool so far," said Byron Obleness, senior at Libby High. "My school never does stuff like this."
DeAnn Thomas, director of Flathead CARE, said that the event grossed about $6,800. This should be enough to "break even this time."
"It looked like everybody was having a good time," said Thomas. "Next year we'll see if we can make a few dollars, but this year was enough."
Any profits go to support CARE-sponsored student groups and activities such as STAND.
Principal Cathy McDevitt said that she had received numerous comments about how polite and well-behaved the students were.
Each musician was paid $50, and the chaperones worked for only a T-shirt. Ron Reeves of Jones Music was in charge of lighting and sound.
Originally planned for Rawson Field, the festivities were moved to Flathead High gymnasium due to foul weather.
"Dance, dance, dance, all night long!" exclaimed Sara Tiffany.
The event ran smoothly, despite a rowdy crowd and a few minor problems.
Thor Erickson of Hara Kiri started to lose his voice, and Utter guitarist Adam Shearer's guitar
was apparently damaged before the concert.