The Base Borden Crescendo Club opened the doors to its official jam room recently.

The day marked the end of what has been a multi-year search for a home for the base’s amateur music club, said member Master Corp. James Oberfrank.

The club has endured several names and forms over the past few years, but it was yet to find a place to call home. It owned some equipment, but most of it was stored as bits and pieces in closets across the base. The idea with the new room is to put all of the equipment in one place, and have it permanently set up, Oberfrank said.

“The idea is to be able to walk in, plug in your guitar and go,” he said.

He began his search about six years ago, but met with limited success. Whenever a suitable room was found, the availability seemed to fall apart. A posting to a United Nations mission in Israel interrupted his search, but when he returned to Borden he met up with Pte. Ryan Flannery, a musician with a similar goal.

A phone call later, and a bit of good timing, and the music club’s wishes were answered — another club was moving out of the room, and the space had just opened up.

With a little money left in the club bank account, Oberfrank and Flannery fixed up the room, scrounged up some furniture, and built a stage complete with monitors and a soundboard. They enlisted the help of Keith White from Angus Borden Music to help so that the stage and sound system were set up properly and would produce the best possible acoustics.

Oberfrank said the club provides an important outlet and form of entertainment for soldiers temporarily posted to the base for training. He said music is a good escape of the pressures and that can come with a stressful training schedule.

“There is a lot of musical talent here, and they just need a place to get together and play,” he said. “It’s an escape - a way to get away and vent.”

The club will start by opening a few nights a week, and will gradually expand its hours based on demand. The plan is to have specific genres of music on different nights, so that the club can appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

With tables, chairs and a couch, the club is also hoping to attract people who want to come in and enjoy some live music.

For more information on joining the club, contact Oberfrank 705-424-1200, ext. 3087.

E-mail reporter Kurtis Elsner at kelsner@simcoe.com