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Sturgis North confirms move to Spallumcheen

The Sturgis North Music Festival and Motorcycle Rally, held last year in Salmon Arm, is planning to move to the Speedway in Spallumcheen.
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Site issues: Sturgis North CEO Ray Sasseville says the Neskonlith Band site

Motorcycles and music are slated to converge in Spallumcheen this summer.

The Sturgis North Music Festival and Motorcycle Rally, held last year for the first time in Salmon Arm, is planning to move to the MotoPlex Speedway and Event Park July 18-22.

Sturgis North president Ray Sasseville confirmed the planned move Monday after comments about the event shifting to the North Okanagan appeared on its Facebook page.

“Everything will be held at the speedway,” said Sasseville, whose event features classic rock acts and a motorcycle trade show and business exposition.

“Vernon, Armstrong and Falkland are going to be co-hosts by default because people will fill their towns up and spend their money there.”

Speedway spokesperson Bob Newcombe said Tuesday, however, that talks have not concluded.

“We are in negotiations, for sure, and have been for a little bit here,” said Newcombe. “Everything’s moving alone fine. We’ve come to terms, just waiting for lawyers on both sides to do some paperwork and then we’ll have a look at it.”

Last year’s festival was held on Neskonlith band land outside of Salmon Arm, and the Salmon Arm Fairgrounds, and drew an estimated crowd of close to 35,000 for the entire festival.

Part of the reason for wanting to leave the Shuswap for the North Okanagan, said Sasseville, is the speedway offers everything organizers need, including 30 to 40 acres of camping space.

“The No. 1 biggest complaint I had in Salmon Arm was having the festival in two locations,” he said. “I needed to find something big enough for one location.”

The other reason for the move, he said, was to make money.

Hosting the festival on the Neskonlith land didn’t make any money as Sasseville said his company had to bring in everything from generators, tents, diesel fuel and bus shuttles, as well as buy fencing.

“I just had 40 acres of dirt,” he said. “There was nothing on it at all. The speedway has power, with power I don’t need generators or diesel fuel. They have infrastructure, they have seating for 7,500 to 10,000 people...”

The inaugural festival lost an estimated $400,000, and Sasseville said the only way to turn the loss into a profit, and be able to pay his creditors from last year, is to put on a successful show.

The only way he can do that, he said, is to have a property that offers him the infrastructure to save money right off the bat, hence the possible move to the speedway.

“We’re hoping everybody is happy about that because we’re making an attempt to make things right,” said Sasseville about the first-year losses. “We want people to know that, yes, we are going to take care of this.”

That debt is something Newcombe doesn’t want to see happen in the North Okanagan.

“That’s one of the things we wanted to address,” said Newcombe.

“We’ve gone through their business plan for 2012 and they do show they’re going to recoup and pay back some of that debt from 2011. It might take a couple of years.

“They’re not running from it. They are making an attempt.”

Meanwhile, the Neskonlith band issued a notice to its members stating: “It is with huge regret that the Neskonlith Chief and Council must at this time inform our Neskonlith IR#3 community that Sturgis North Promotions has decided to move locations for the 2012 event. The Sturgis North Biker Rally Event set for this July will not be on the Neskonlith Bench Land located on 50th Avenue this year only.”

It also states: “...A future business plan may include invitations from Sturgis North Promotions and other activities they have expressed an interest in working together on.”

A press release given to the Neskonlith band from Sturgis notes that Sturgis North 2012 has invited Neskonlith to set up a vendor booth at their new location.

“We wish to thank Salmon Arm Neskonlith for all the hospitality and genuine friendship we have been shown from the local town’s people. We have enjoyed working with so many of you, all the volunteers and businesses we have worked with, and of course we are forever grateful we could have our first Sturgis North in your beautiful little town. We may possibly do something with the Salmon Arm area in the future, but will, for now, be focused on the new location...”

Sicamous, which Sasseville said hosted between 5,000 and 8,000 bikers last year, will also host another day event this summer.



Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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