Big Spring Jam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Big Spring Jam |
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Big Spring Jam logo
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| Location(s) | Huntsville, Alabama, United States |
| Years active | 1993–2011 |
The Big Spring Jam was an exciting annual music festival held in Huntsville, Alabama. This popular event, which began in 1993, usually took place in the fall, around the fourth weekend in September. It was a big gathering where people could enjoy many types of music.
The festival featured all kinds of musical acts. You could hear local bands, new rising stars, old favorites, and even the top artists of the time. Besides the music, the Big Spring Jam also hosted an annual 5k race for everyone to join.
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Why Was It Called Big Spring Jam?
Many people, especially those not from Huntsville, found the festival's name a bit confusing. The "Big Spring Jam" was held in early autumn, not spring!
However, the name came from its location. The festival took place at Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville. So, the name was about the place, not the season.
Music Stages and Genres
The Big Spring Jam usually had four or more temporary stages. These stages were set up all around Big Spring Park. Each stage typically focused on specific types of music throughout the weekend.
For example, one stage played only country music. Another stage featured Christian contemporary music. The other stages were mostly for rock bands. In 2011, to help with bad weather, the country music stage was moved indoors. It went into the Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center.
Helping the Community
Unlike many other large music festivals, the Big Spring Jam was a special kind of event. It was a not-for-profit festival. This means it wasn't organized to make money for private owners.
Instead, the Huntsville Heritage Foundation worked with the Von Braun Center to put on the event each year. Any money made from the festival went to help local charities. It also supported health and human services groups and arts organizations across North Alabama.
Challenges and Changes
In its later years, the Big Spring Jam faced some difficulties, mainly because of the weather. In both 2005 and 2006, some of the main musical acts had to be canceled. This happened because of bad weather.
When events were canceled, tickets were not refunded, even if they were sold right before the cancellation. However, the festivals in 2007 and 2008 had good weather and were very successful. The 2010 event was canceled due to money and planning issues. But the festival did return in 2011, as promised.
The Final Festival in 2011
The 2011 Big Spring Jam was a bit smaller. It lasted for two days instead of three. Some of the performances were moved indoors to the Propst Arena.
This last event had about 30,000 attendees. This was a big drop from 2003, when 240,000 people attended. Several reasons were given for the lower attendance. These included the smaller size of the event, competition from high school and college football games, and the economy. The weather on the first day also played a part.
In November 2011, the organizers announced they would "shelve" the event. This meant they would pause it for a while. They hoped to "retool" or "recreate" the festival in the future. This would happen when the economy improved and more local interest returned.
