Each summer, country music fans flock to Des Moines for a full day of headlining country acts and fun-loving crowds. Big Country Bash 2010 fit the bill with seven acts, foam party tents, tailgating and mud sliding.

“Every year, we tailgate all morning with the rest of the crowd before the concert starts,” said Herman Loland Navo III, senior in history. “It’s a good tradition to get out in the sun and enjoy some good music with friends and family. I’ll put the American flag up on the truck for people to find us, and we all meet up and have a great time.”

Performers at the June 2010 Big Country Bash included Gretchen Wilson, Rodney Atkins, Jason Michael Carroll, Trailer Choir, Jerrod Niemann, Sarah Darling and Jason Brown.

“I’ve gone for the past three years and they’ve always had good headliners. Last year, Rodney Atkins and Jerrod Niemann both put on really good shows,” Navo said.

The annual concert, sponsored by 97.3 The Hawk and 92.5 KJJY, has been drawing crowds every summer for the past five years. The Blank Park Zoo provided the venue for last summer’s event, where overnight rain transformed the concert grounds into a giant opportunity for belly slides and mud wrestling.

Water Works Park in Des Moines most often hosts the event, but last summer’s floods caused the location change. Despite any event planning alterations, the bash continued to host a full day of popular country music acts and will continue the tradition in summer 2011.

Line-up announcements for Big Country Bash 2011 will not be released until later this spring. However, a day full of live country music and mass tailgating is sure to draw a crowd that will not disappoint. The sixth annual Big Country Bash will take place Sunday, June 16, 2011.

“It’s a fun summer day-good music, good people, and a good time,” Navo said.