It was a disappointing summer, to say the least, for central Iowa concert patrons. Besides Bob Dylan’s stop at the Iowa State Fair and a handful of other noteworthy shows such as Static-X, there wasn’t a whole lot of live music excitement.

This was especially true for outdoor concerts around the area. Des Moines’ Lazer 103.3 had three outdoor concerts scheduled over the summer, all of which were canceled.

Both the Big Ass Barbecue, which featured Monster Magnet and System of the Down among others, and The Beach Bash, which was slated to show off local groups such as Index Case, were canceled due to the Des Moines City Council’s refusal to allow the sale of alcohol. Pantera was also set to roll through town with its Extreme Steel tour, but was canceled due to poor ticket sales.

This buildup of events was enough to make Joel Bryan, operations manager of Seven Oaks Recreation Area in Boone, decide to put on his own show to try to make something up to central Iowa fans. With the help of local radio station 105.1 Channel Q, The Banned Bash will go down Saturday at Seven Oaks.

“We were just kind of playing off the fact that those major concerts got canceled,” Bryan says. “I own my own land and my own insurance and don’t need to have the right for a noise ordinance and stuff like that. So we just teamed up with 105.1 Channel Q and it’s just going to be a day-long party.”

Although The Banned Bash will not pack the national act power of Lazer’s shows, it features a lineup of eight regional bands. Local favorites Pookey Bleum, 38th Parallel and Des Moines scene veterans Squidboy will all be on hand. Other groups scheduled to play are The Miltons, dead by Wednesday, Fat Tuesday and the Fire Horns, Brannock Device and the Barralhouse Rockets.

Besides plenty of Miller Lite, hamburgers, brats and a full day of live music, concertgoers will enjoy the facility itself.

Bryan built the 16 by 32-foot stage himself and says that the setting is a natural amphitheater played right into a ski hill.

“The setting is beautiful, lots of trees and scenery. It’s just all nature and a beautiful scene of the Des Moines River Valley,” he says.

The great atmosphere and potentially large crowd have the bands excited as well.

Jim Schloemer, lead singer of dead by Wednesday, says that the potential is there for the show to be a very good concert, especially for the price.

“I think it’s going to be a blast, all of the bands that I have talked to are really excited about the show. When local bands get into the environment where they are allowed to really let loose, I think that they can put on a better show than some national shows,” Schloemer says.

Tickets for The Banned Bash are available at the gate for $10, or $8 online at sevenoaksrec.com. Gates will open at 11 a.m. with music starting at noon.