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Back Alley Bash: Camels, Cherry Pickers, and Community

The KPCW & Cole Sport Back Alley Bash happens this Friday evening. The bash has been a tradition for decades and KPCW’s David Boyle researched the history of the event.

Former KPCW Program Director Don Gomes admits he’s not exactly sure when the Back Alley Bash began, but he does remember that the party was meant to celebrate the end of the radio stations summer pledge drive.

“The Back Alley-Bash. I’d probably have to guesstimate that it was probably the late ’80’s, maybe even 1990 before that happened. That’s when Gary Cole bought the old reservation building and turned it into Cole Sport. That was the location of the Back Alley Bash as most people remember it.” Games said, “The first couple of years actually before Prospector Square was really developed. There were a lot of parking lots and no buildings. I remember twice that they put up a tent and had some local band and lots of beer and fun things after the summer pledge drive was done.”

Scott Dudevoir Manager at Cole Sport also doesn’t have an exact date of when the Back Alley Bash started but thinks it might have been the late ‘80’s.

“Gary and Jana Cole started Cole Sport in 1982. The first Back Alley Bash was at our Park Avenue store. That might have been in the ’89 range maybe when that store opened up that’s where it started.” Dudevoir continued, “Don Gomes used to come by and he’d be up in a cherry picker and waving at everybody as they drove by just get people to come in. It was really fun.”

Gomes admits he did spend some time watching the party from a higher vantage point.

“We had a number of years where in the morning and the evening of the last day of the pledge drive—Utah Power which is now Rocky Mountain Power—they would bring one of their cherry pickers and I’d get in it and be raised up above.” Gomes explained, “The whole mantra was if we don’t meet our goal Gomes doesn’t come down. We had some fun with that, there were a couple of occasions I’d take my guitar up and sing a song. People would drive by and honk and we’d be counting that as points towards our goal.”

Cole Sport Co-Founder Jana Cole has some of her own favorite memories from the party.

“They had a dunk tank for a couple of years. (KPCW Founder and former General Manager) Blaire (Feulner) would be sitting there and I think they had the police chief at one time and the school superintendent. So, people paid money to dunk whoever was at the dunk tank.” Cole said, “We had food, just like we do now but it was mostly our staff that did the cooking and bringing of the salads and serving the food. So, we all participated in that. Then I know we had lots of things for the kids, hula hoops and the camel.

The camel offered rides and occasionally made appearance in the store.

“We used to have a camel come by at the Park Ave store. That was kind of a unique thing. I remember we had the camel probably three-quarters of the way in the store with a bike helmet on its head and it was just kind of funny. That was a memory that stuck out for sure.” Dudevoir continued, “There used to be a guy here who worked at the station I think Ed Fraze is his name. He dressed up all in foil one year and did a comedy routine and that was hysterical.”

Cole says the event has always been for families.

“We always wanted for families to come and there was always a band and it seemed like the kids were the ones that got their parents out dancing.” Cole said, “That’s what it is today as well, we want it to be a family fun evening.”

Even though the party has outgrown its original venue it’s still viewed by many as a community celebration.

“It definitely started out as more of a community party and I think that’s still how we feel about it. We see a lot of the same faces every year it’s great that people come out and support the radio station.” Dudevoir explained, “That’s really what it’s all about is just to get together and have fun.”

The Back Alley Bash is this Friday evening from 5-9 at the Town Lift Plaza in Park City. For more information you can visit KPCW.org

KPCW reporter David Boyle covers all things in the Heber Valley as well as sports and breaking news.
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