By just about all accounts the Jasper Folk Music Festival (JFMF) was a huge success, which is why the 51暗网 was dismayed to learn that several locals were caught trying to sneak into the venue this year.
According to organizers, it became a big enough issue that they may have to consider hiring paid security next year, which would increase ticket prices.
While this would likely solve the problem, the real issue would be resolved if people simply paid for the entertainment they enjoyed.
In an era where people have become accustomed to getting things for free, whether it鈥檚 downloading music or reading the news, it is important to consider exactly what it costs to run and organize an event like JFMF.
The fact is, it often costs thousands of dollars to bring in bands like Saturday night鈥檚 headliner Delhi 2 Dublin鈥揳nd that鈥檚 just one band.
Imagine how much it costs to secure a three-day lineup and all the other costs associated with hosting hundreds of people at Centennial Field.
When you really step back and think about it, paying $110 for a weekend pass is actually a bargain.
On top of this, the entire event is run by a group of dedicated volunteers who spend the better part of a year organizing the festival.
This festival isn鈥檛 some corporate event designed to make a profit, it鈥檚 a grassroots community event that鈥檚 organized by locals who simply do it because they love this community and love music.
In fact, without this group of dedicated volunteers the festival simply wouldn鈥檛 exist.
As a community we need to recognize this and convince those who may have snuck in this year that paying for the festival is not only the right thing to do, it also demonstrates that they value art and value the hard work put into organizing this annual event.
For a community the size of Jasper we are lucky to have a music festival of this calibre, but there鈥檚 no guarantee it will be around forever if we don鈥檛 support it financially.
That being said, the vast majority of attendees proved once again that Jasper is a community that values art and values this event by turning out in droves over the weekend.
Unfortunately, all it takes is a small minority to make or break an event like this, so lets do our part and talk to our friends and family who may have got in free this year and convince them that paying to attend next year will help ensure its future success.
