Cleanup underway after Country Thunder wraps up in Craven

The cleanup was underway in Craven on Monday after the Country Thunder music festival wrapped up Sunday night.

The four-day music festival was attended by thousands, many of whom ended up camping on the festival grounds for the entirety of the event.

As campers woke up on Monday, many were greeted with muddy fields left over from the thunderstorm that rolled over the grounds late Sunday.

That created challenging conditions for some trying to get out of the field.

“Our trailer got stuck,” one girl laughed as she watched her friend’s boyfriend try to pull their truck and trailer out of the thick mud.

The stuck vehicle and trailer — combined with a hangover four days in the making — were not something those at that specific campsite were looking forward to dealing with.

“Take me to SGI; I am a writeoff,” another girl shouted.

“We’re in big do-do,” another added. “We’re all writeoffs today and we couldn’t get the trailer out.”

It's clean up time in Craven!!! @CJMENews #CountryThunderSK @countrythunder pic.twitter.com/bdgpsor21I

— Shane (@ShaneC06) July 18, 2022

After hours of trying, the struggling campers were able to locate a couple of bobcats to pull the trailer and trucks out of the mud.

Across the campground, one man didn’t seem like he was going to be leaving the campsite anytime soon.

“I’ve felt better,” said Lucas Bannon, who mentioned he has never been that hungover in his lifetime.

Lucas Bannon (on the ground) and his friends were cleaning up Monday after an exciting four days at Country Thunder in Craven. (Shane Clausing/980 CJME)

Bannon mentioned this was a weekend he won’t be remembering anytime soon.

“There’s a picture of me in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and I don’t remember anything else,” he added.

Bannon thinks he guzzled down close to 80 beers this weekend.

Another girl said she and her friends were exhausted from the weekend and couldn’t wait to get home.

“I am surprised I survived all of that,” she explained. “I lost so many of my shoes in the mud.”

She credits booze and friends for the reason why she was able to survive four days of partying.

“I’m hot, (I’m) over being sticky and I feel like my liver might fall out,” she added.

However, she mentioned she doesn’t regret anything that happened during the event.

“It means I went hard, lived my best life and enjoyed Craven to the fullest,” she added. “I’m like a god at Craven, basically.”

Most people said they enjoyed Craven and were happy to see the festival back for the first time after three years away due to COVID-19.

For those wondering, crews have been hired to clean up any items left at the campsite that campers didn’t take home.

RCMP report

The search for a stolen giant plush banana was among the 124 calls for service the Saskatchewan RCMP dealt with during Country Thunder.

The Mounties said the banana was found and returned to its owner.

According to a media release, 31 arrests were made over the weekend.

During the festival, the calls for service comprised: 29 calls for disturbing the peace; 14 offences under the Liquor Act; 10 lost-and-found calls; six missing people (all were found); six reports of mischief; four assaults; four 9-1-1 incidents; four 72-hour suspensions of driver’s licences; three Mental Health Act calls; two charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine; two reports of theft under $5,000; two Fire Prevention Act violations; two reports of uttering threats; two Motor Vehicle Act incidents; one call of possession of cocaine; one instance of identity fraud; one incident of a person impersonating a police officer; one call about a dog in a crate outdoors in the hot weather; and, one noise complaint.

Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan officers also issued a total of 55 tickets and one 72-hour licence suspension during the event.

Those offences included: 13 speeding violations; seven instances of having improperly tinted windows; six unregistered vehicles; six failing to produce registration; four failing to wear a seatbelt; three driving while holding a cellphone; two failing to stop at a stop sign; two failing to produce a valid driver’s licence; two excessive damage to a windshield; two consuming alcohol in a vehicle; one exceeding 60 kilometres per hour while passing an emergency vehicle with its lights activated; one exceeding 60 km/h passing a tow truck with its amber lights on; one proceeding from a stop sign before it’s safe; one failing to comply with licence endorsement or restriction; one for being an unaccompanied learner driver; one driving without a valid licence; one driving a vehicle with cargo that dropped (a pallet fell off a trailer onto the highway and struck two vehicles); and, one inadequate muffler.