Craven Jamboree campers find mostly dry grounds on opening day

Last minute preparations are underway for the 2014 Craven Country Jamboree, west of Regina. The gates for the music festival opened Tuesday for those with camping reservations. They found, for the most part, that the grounds were relatively dry considering the recent spell of wet weather.

 A couple of early birds, however, managed to find a damp spot.

"We sunk a little bit, but it's better than last time," Laurie Bouvier, who arrived at the camping site with her daughter Taylor around 9:30 a.m., told CBC News. "We kept watching the website to make sure the rain wasn't here. It's all around so we're surprised it wasn't actually at Craven."

Despite Bouvier's bit of bad luck with a couple of sunken tires of her RV, Craven organizers have been busy trying to ensure the grounds are in good shape. It has been a round-the-clock chore.

"Pumping water, cutting grass, levelling out ground," Kim Blevins, from the Craven Jamboree said. "Just trying to dry it out. It's amazing how quickly the ground will dry out here if we get sun and wind."

For many people already at the site, the excitement of the annual event quickly overcomes any issues with the weather.

"Words can't even express. It's such a good bonding time with them and it's something we all enjoy to do," Cheryl Charrier, who will be visiting with lots of family at Craven, said. "And I don't get to see them that much because I live so far away for them."

Including the campers, the Jamboree grounds will be filled with about 25,000 people each day during the festival.

The music starts Wednesday night at the Beer Gardens. The main stage opens Friday.