The Salmon Arm Fall Fairgrounds and sites in Sicamous are options being considered by Summer Stomp organizers for the event’s home in 2013.
Steve Hammer, treasurer with the non-profit Summer Stomp, confirmed the fairgrounds is one of three locations being considered for their event, billed by the organization as the “best biker charity party going.”
“It is very preliminary but it is an option, and we actually have a meeting coming up on the 24th of January… and we’ll have some more clear direction of which one we’ll be pursuing at that time,” Hammer explained.
On Monday, Salmon Arm city council considered a letter from RCMP Staff Sgt. Kevin Keane, who says he’s been advised that the Summer Stomp “is seeking approval to use the fall fairgrounds” for 2013. Keane also notes the city is responsible for 100 per cent of costs related to “special events” outside of the municipal policing contract.
Coun. Alan Harrison said the Stomp’s interest in the fairgrounds has come before the fair’s board of directors, and that the board has not committed to leasing the grounds.
“I would understand they would like to hold their annual general meeting first, and their (AGM) is in February,” said Harrison. “So they haven’t made a decision if they want to lease the grounds…”
Harrsion said he advised the board that if they decided to lease the grounds to the Stomp, they “should consider collecting an amount to help pay for RCMP policing costs.”
Despite there being no application from the Stomp, or further details available, Coun. Chad Eliason said he was supportive of the group using the fairgrounds. However, he said he wouldn’t support a request for a noise bylaw extension. Eliason said he also wouldn’t consider an application from the Stomp to the Agricultural Land Commission to use adjacent agricultural land for campgrounds, as is done for Roots and Blues. Coun. Denise Reimer agreed with both conditions.
This, however, is not a concern for Hammer, who says if the Stomp goes to the fairgrounds, the organization will not be making either application to the city.
Hammer also confirmed that Sicamous is another of locations under consideration.
“That’s one of the options we’re exploring,” said Hammer. “Sicamous has their burnout event on that weekend, the same weekend as the Summer Stomp, so we are going to be talking to Sicamous. We have a meeting coming up with the event planner for Sicamous area.”
Last year’s event, held in Silver Creek, drew the ire of Columbia Shuswap Regional District directors, who were particularly upset the organization didn’t shut down the music by midnight – a condition the Stomp agreed to with the CSRD.
Without an exemption, Salmon Arm’s noise bylaw is enforced before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m.
Regarding Sicamous, Hammer says he is impressed with how open and welcoming the community has been to different events such as the burnout.
“If you’ve got sort of a city that’s welcoming and a council that wants to work and have events and bring visitors and tourists and attractions to their town, and one that’s going, ‘we’re not going to do this, we don’t want to do this, we don’t want to do that,’ where would you go?” asked Hammer. “As sad as it is, Salmon Arm really is putting out the message that they’re not really inviting events, tourists and visitors to Salmon Arm. And it’s sad.”