The next batch of the Blueberry Jam Music Gathering is currently in the works.
This year’s edition of the Jam is slated to take place from August 9-11, at the now-typical Flinty Campground Main Stage area and the Rotary Wheel. The event will remain free and will still be mainly either local bands and musicians or players with local ties.
While the base is still similar, some changes will be coming. One change for last year was restoring the Rotary Wheel as a secondary venue for the festival, changing the theme of it so it became what organizers called the “Blueberry Wine Bar” - a more formal area with relaxed music, often featuring jazz or acoustic performers. Kolt said the change was a success and it will return for this year.
Another change was moving to an artisan market, adding in vendor stalls for craft sellers and home businesses. That will also return and Crystal Kolt, the marketing coordinator for this year’s Jam, says organizers hope it can expand.
“We’re going to be expanding the artisan market - I think we’re going to start calling it ‘Artisan Alley’ and that’s going to be larger, we feel,” said Kolt.
“We’re hoping to see a few more food vendors and of course, Rotarians will be there doing food.”
While the Rotary Club will be cooking up grub, they won’t be hosting the beer garden this year - who will host that and what form it may take still remains to be seen.
Organizers are communicating with other festivals, like Saskatchewan’s Ness Creek Music Festival, along with groups such as Travel Manitoba to help expand the festival, making it something that could attract music lovers from outside Flin Flon and outside the north.
“We’re going to be putting more into marketing and advertising this year, just to get the word out. I think now we’re confident,” Kolt said.
“We’re all feeling pretty confident that we can let the party begin as it should.”
Last year and in 2019, Blueberry Jam saw a cumulative total of 7,000 people enter the park for the events. Kolt hopes to see that increase this year, including bringing more people in.
“There was a package through Travel Manitoba to different communities - that was something. There’s also our social media pages, those are our most popular ways to get information out,” said Kolt.
“Our number one group is still the locals, the northerners, even Thompson, Snow Lake, Cranberry Portage, Creighton, Denare Beach. There are always people who come from away who are interested in what’s happening in Flin Flon - Blueberry Jam has such a good reputation that we know there’s interest in people coming out for the celebration, the party.”
The event is run on the work of volunteers and this year, Kolt says volunteers are still in short supply, throughout the festival. To make it easier to get involved, Kolt says this year’s event will have a sign-up link for volunteers, along with vendors and possible musicians, on the official event website at flinflonblueberryjam.ca - possible volunteers can also contact coordinator Elly Spencer to get involved.
“We still have the list from previous years. Soon, we will be calling out to people and asking if they’re able to volunteer,” said Kolt.
Campsites are already filling up for the weekend at the Flinty Campground - Kolt says that musicians or band members hoping to book spots at the campground should do so soon, adding that out-of-town performers will need to respond before May 1 if they hope to camp.
Performers can also contact Mark Kolt to get involved with playing during the festival, along with doing so through the website.
