Blueberry Jam Music Gathering was the stuff legends are made of.
I know this, because I spend a lot of time talking to Flin Flonners. They’ve told me the legend of Phantom Lake Days and shown me photos of the docks and shore of Phantom Lake filled with smiling, happy people.
They’ve told me the legend of Trout Festival in years gone by when the Whitney Forum was packed wall to wall with Flin Flonners for three nights straight.
I’ve heard all about the floating dance hall and am enthusiastically anticipating the day they bring it back.
In talking to Flin Flonners at Blueberry Jam, I knew a new legend was being written in the minds of the many who came out from around the area and the province.
One of the most impactful things I overheard on the weekend came from some younger audience members.
“This is Flin Flon. It’s not the Flin Flon we know – it’s the Flin Flon we’ve heard about.”
I couldn’t have put it better myself.
It was like a whole other world inside the Flin Flon Campground last weekend – a world I’ve only heard about and seen in old photos. Hundreds and hundreds of people, more people than I’ve seen in one place here flooded in and flooded the dance floor.
All weekend, people were happy. They were smiling and visiting with their neighbours, and kids roamed free around the campground. People toured the forested space barefoot and on bikes. Folks milled about and checked out the vendor tents, and ate those famous Rotary fries. Campfires flickered in the evening and twinkling lights lit pathways at night.
The atmosphere at the festival was relaxed and joyful, a welcomed break from the tensions outside the treed perimeter of the campground.
And the music! There were the regulars – the people you see playing at Johnny’s and at socials. There were tight acts that travelled from out of town – it’s not just Flin Flon that has extraordinary musical talent, it comes from all over. And then there were locals who seeemed to come out of the woodwork. People with talent they may occasionally share here and there on a small scale, but that the town hadn’t been properly exposed to. The performers last weekend rocked, start to finish.
Everyone on site kept the party going all weekend. Blueberry Jam pumped more life into this city – you could see it on the faces of everyone around.
We’re all looking forward to next year.
Here’s hoping word spreads and the gathering gets bigger and better every year.
The organizers, volunteers, performers and audience of this year’s Blueberry Jam Music Gathering should be commended – they made it a legendary weekend.
