Editor's note: The source for this story, Drew Riekman, is a member of the CIVL board of directors. 

For some artists and businesses in Abbotsford, Jam in Jubilee is the one time of year they get to engage in their local community. The free local music festival started to revitalize downtown Abbotsford’s Jubilee Park in the summer of 2010, under the volunteer direction of residents at the Atangard Community Project, a non-profit cohabitational group which itself had just been christened in the historic downtown core. About a hundred people sat on the grass and watched local bands perform on a homemade wooden stage.

But things changed in 2020. This year’s Jam in Jubilee coordinator Drew Riekman talks about the challenges of the socially distanced transition for a local event that was originally focused on being together.

Since being incorporated into the Abbotsford Arts Council’s annual programming in 2015, while JiJ co-founder Sophia Suderman was working as the AAC’s Executive Director, Jam in Jubilee has grown into an essential local event that runs on Thursday evenings every July.

Annually, the growing arts and culture community of Abbotsford descends on Jubilee Park. Thousands of visitors watch local jazz, folk and hip hop artists open for more popular touring artists like Julie Doiron (Shotgun and Jaybird, Eric’s Trip), Said The Whale, Black Belt Eagle Scout, Sara Jane Scouten, and many more. While kids explore installations and art from local students and creative groups, adults enjoy drinks from local breweries and dozens of local vendors and food trucks. And nonprofits sell, promote and network in the market.

Here is CIVL's interview with Drew Riekman on the 2020 Jam in Jubilee: