Show goes on at Sloss Lake despite weather
It was a hot and humid day July 4, but that didn’t stop the community from coming out and celebrating Independence Day at Russellville’s 10th annual Jam on Sloss Lake.
There was a steady stream of people coming and going throughout the day, but it wasn’t until evening rolled around that the park flooded with celebrators. Chairs and tents steadily filled the area in front of the stage as it came closer to time for headliner Darryl Worley to perform.
However, as 8 p.m. approached, storm clouds began to move in to the area.
Event organizer Councilman Gary Cummings announced the evening would proceed as normal if the storm went around Russellville or was a brief affair. He said he had spoken with the National Weather Service, which reported the storm would be short-lived and not too severe.
When the rain started, the crowd dispersed and either went home or took shelter under the tents provided.
It didn’t take long for the storm’s intensity to rise. Bright lightning filled the sky, and eventually the power in the park went out.
Amidst the worry, however, one little girl managed to brighten the mood and quite literally shine a light on the dark situation. Under one of the large tents packed with people, an array of colored lights flicked on and covered the underside of the tent. All eyes turned to the little girl being hoisted up in the middle of the tent, who had turned on a toy, causing the lights to dance around. Applause soon filled the air, and the stormy situation was temporarily forgotten.
The storm ended about 9 p.m., and Worley declared he was going to put on a show no matter what. Worley and his band set up an acoustic set at a different location in the park because of the main stage getting wet from the storm. While the band prepped, attendees were treated to the fireworks show.
After the fireworks show, Worley and his bandmates performed their acoustic set on a flatbed trailer. They closed out the set with his hit “Have You Forgotten?” about midnight.
