Riverfront beach bash a hot spot Saturday

Twelve hours of rock, jazz, country and Latin music filled Gateway Park on Saturday. The newly opened park hosted its first major event, the Ocean to Ocean Beach Bash, featuring six bands, food and fun along the Colorado River.

Perry Dockins of Two Rivers Entertainment, one of the producers of the event, said almost 1,000 people passed through the gates before the sun went down.

He expected a minimum of 3,000 people to turn out, though he said the crowd could reach up to 6,000 before the event wrapped up at midnight.

"This is a natural amphitheater," he said.

The bands featured were Leavin' Ruston, Latin A-Go-Go, Breez'n, Slick Nickel, Broken Toyz and The Blues Gypsies.

Gateway Park, located beneath the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge, connects Yuma's riverfront development projects by acting as a bridge between the wetlands parks. The $4 million park was officially dedicated on May 31 and is accessed at 1st and Gila streets.

Yuma resident Al Varela visited the park for the first time Saturday. He liked what he saw. "I love music, live music, and I wanted to check out the Gateway Park. So far, I haven't been disappointed,."

The event was staged by Two Rivers Entertainment and the Heritage Festivals to highlight recreational opportunities in Yuma.

"We had an idea for a concert in about a year from now and they (Heritage Festivals) asked if we could push it through in two months," Dockins said. "We did."