By Shereen Siewert
Jackpine Jamboree, the annual camping and music festival held each Labor Day weekend about 20 miles east of Wausau, is canceled this year due to coronavirus concerns, organizers announced Monday.
“As the countdown to Labor Day weekend looms, our monitoring of the COVID-19 crisis and the uncertainty of the near future fogs our vision of the type of festival we strive to present: unabashed embraces, sharing drinks and food with your neighbor, arm and arm revelry in the music bowl,” a Jackpine Jamboree Facebook post reads.
“These essentials to a positive and loving festival experience are temporarily advised against by credible science and health experts at this unprecedented time. We are in mutual agreement with our gracious and hardworking hosts and friends from the Wildlife Campground that an event with social distancing measures and mandates in place would merely be a shadow of the Jackpine festival we cherish.”
The event has been held annually for the past 24 years at Wildlife Campground in Birnamwood and features four days of live music from popular bluegrass, folk and Americana artists.
Previously reserved electrical sites will be honored for the 2021 festival, with information going out next spring. Vendor contracts will be sent out at that time as well.
With limited events this summer, Wildlife Campground will update their wiring for overnight sites, an upgrade for overnight campers.
Event planners say they are working on plans to virtually celebrate their 25th year. Follow Jackpine Jamboree on Facebook for updates.
Next year’s event is planned for Sept. 2-5, 2021.
