Little brother on the cover.

John made the front page of the Peterborough Examiner the other day. The annual wakeboard championships were held at Beavermead Park and the photographer, Clifford Skarstedt, caught him crowdsurfing. I think this is a really great shot. I love the way his red t-shirt looks. And at least he isn't in the paper for doing something really bad.

Party in the Park, by Andrea Houston, Examiner Staff Writer.

True to their word, local band The Spades brought out the sunshine with the first song of their set on Saturday.

And, despite fears of thunder and lightning all day, the sunny weather stuck around through the afternoon at the 2009 Canadian Wakeboard Championships at Beavermead Park.

"We plan to bring some sunshine today," lead singer James McKenty assured the crowd.

By the time headline act Bedouin Soundclash took the stage, the crowd was dancing, singing and hardly talking about the weather at all.

"I have been waiting to see Bedouin Soundclash for so long!" said Tim Grant, 26. "I love their groovy, mellow reggae sound. Perfect for summer."

Bedouin Soundclash, who met while attending Queen's University in Kingston in 2001, were accompanied on stage with a horn section.

During their encore, fan John Stabler, 20, showed his appreciation by crowd surfing across the hundreds of heads in front of the stage.

Co-organizer John McNutt said about 4,000 people joined the party on Saturday.

Although some were content to sit on the beach and watch the wakeboarding, most filled the area around the main stage or lounged in the beer garden.

The Wolf 101.5 FM set up a large cedar deck complete with a hot tub in the middle of the beer tent.

"It's not so much a hot tub. It's a warm tub," said Mike Heartlib, who was sipping a Coors Light while he soaked.

After The Spades, The Birthday Boys performed, followed by The Arkells and then Bedouin Soundclash closed the show.

"It's great to be involved in the festival," McKenty told The Examiner after the show. "We always love staying in Peterborough."

Singer Max Kerman from Hamilton-based The Arkells said the band loves visiting Peterborough, especially to have dinner at a certain George St. restaurant.

"We love Hot Belly Mama's," Kerman said with a laugh. "This is a great way to edn the summer. We're friends with all the bands playing today. We're stoked."

Although the bands would have performed rain or shine, McNutt admits he was a little concerned when he arrived in the morning in the midst of a thunderstorm.

"Thunder and lightning become a safety issue, but I got a feeling that the Lord's a wakeboarder," he joked. "By early afternoon the sun just started peeking out and people have just streamed right in."

Baughn Deleff said he came to see The Arkells, but loved the whole event.

"We're really excited that this event is here in Peterborough," he said. "I would like to see more youth-oriented things in Peterborough. It's really great."

NOTE:In between bands, Jason Thorne from Thorne FMX (freestyle motocross) entertained the crowd with his high-flying stunt show.... Spades lead singerJames McKentysaid the local band will release its new album (a five song EP) on Oct. 1.... ThoseExaminerbeach balls that were handed out for free on Friday could be seen throughout Beavermead Park over the weekend. While the bands played, a couple of balls bounced through the crowd in front of the stage.

"We love Hot Belly Mama's," Kerman said with a laugh. "This is a great way to end the summer. We're friends with all the bands playing today. We're stoked."

Although the bands would have performed rain or shine, McNutt admits he was a little concerned when he arrived in the morning in the midst of a thunderstorm.

"Thunder and lightning become a safety issue, but I got a feeling that the Lord's a wake-boarder," he joked. "By early

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