Skip to content

Dates, information released for 2020 Blueberry Jam

The board for the Blueberry Jam Music Gathering has set the dates for the 2020 event. The show will once again kick off on Thursday night, although the time and nature of the kick off is yet to be determined.
jam

The board for the Blueberry Jam Music Gathering has set the dates for the 2020 event.

The show will once again kick off on Thursday night, although the time and nature of the kick off is yet to be determined.

The gathering’s annual general meeting was held Nov. 12 as organizers prep for next year’s show. A few days before the AGM, dates for the 2020 Blueberry Jam were confirmed – Aug. 7-9.

“Later in the year, the weather is getting worse,” event chair Edgar Wright said.

“Earlier in the year, there's too many other things going on. The weekend before generally is a long weekend. We don't count on people showing up for a long weekend because on August long weekend, people disappear.”

Wright said the board wasn’t sure if there will be just a kickoff show, like this year’s Jam, or four full days of performances. The location of a third stage is still up in the air. Johnny’s Social Club served as a third location in 2019, but Wright said he heard some feedback from attendees that Johnny’s was too far away from the main festival area. He also said some sponsors wanted a location closer to the uptown area of Flin Flon.

Feedback from attendees was nearly all positive, but the executive knows there are areas for improvement.

“We know we've got some major things to look at for next year,” marketing director Crystal Kolt said.

“We really have a feeling that we just keep getting bigger and better. We need to deal with things like parking. We want to make our neighbours like us next year. The wonderful gentleman from Canadian Tire was extremely gracious this year, but I don't think he’ll tolerate us choking their entire parking lot, two weekends in a row. We've got some things to continue to do better.”

Part of the calculation is if the gathering can expect more performers in 2020. For the first edition, 56 acts performed. Last year, over 70 took to the stage. Organizers said they’ll be trying to predict if that number will increase even more.

The financials for the year were also revealed during the meeting. The gathering took in over $52,000 for the year, with expenses only reaching $40,000. Organizers expected to bring in around $42,000 for the year, but thanks to some extra grant money, were able to spark to a higher number and a $12,000 surplus.

The Jam board also added new positions, one of which was filled during the meeting. Tim Spencer stepped down from the fundraising post, but the rest of the executive stayed on the board. Kim Sattelberger took on a new grant writing position. The executive also announced new committees and subcommittees they’re looking to fill, including for the children’s area, vendor, pamphlet, campground liaison and hospitality.

Wright also said there was no need for security right now, as RCMP are able to cover the event. As the gathering grows, the need for security for the Jam will arise.

More information about the Blueberry Jam will be released on their Facebook page as the year progresses.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks