Lakes Jam is a 4-day concert event, held each June—at the iconic Brainerd International Raceway (BIR), in Brainerd, Minnesota. During these 4 days, concertgoers can see a variety of different acts and bands of both rock and country genres. Music has been proven repeatedly, that it brings people together. Music allows us to connect – whether that be singing and dancing along to the songs, feeling the rhythm and beats, and creates social connections of being in the same place, at the same time, experiencing the moment with others.
Music is all about connecting community-and so is Consolidated Telephone Company (CTC). As Lakes Jam celebrates their 10th anniversary, CTC celebrates being a proud partner of this event for 10 years as well. CTC is known for its tagline, “Connecting the Community”. This is why CTC continues to support the partnership.
CTC is a cooperative, with the focus being on supporting our community and giving back. Cooperatives are member-owned and run the business for the benefit of the members we serve.
Lakes Jam helps the Brainerd Lakes Area with its boost in economic impact for area businesses, the hospitality industry, and different recreation opportunities for the visitors coming to the area for the event.
“As part of our Cooperative initiatives, growing our community’s economic vitality is important as we strengthen rural communities in Minnesota. Lakes Jam provides strength to our local economy along with stellar musical talent for our community to enjoy,” said CTC CEO, Kristi Westbrock.
“Lakes Jam brings in over 50,000 people to the Brainerd Lakes Area over the course of a 4-5-day period and provides over $7 million dollars of economic impact to our local economy,” said Executive Director of Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corporation, Tyler Glynn. Glynn said, “The impact to our region has many layers. From a community perspective, this event brings people from all over the state to experience what the Brainerd Lakes area has to offer, as people come here to enjoy all the wonderful amenities, like golf, biking, and of course – the water.”
With the increase of people in the area during the event, Lakes Jam brings in multiple opportunities for local businesses to see an increase in their sales and patronage.
Local restaurants such as the Gas Can Bar & Grill and The Sidetrack Bar and Restaurant have an increase of customers visiting with these restaurants being in such proximity to the venue. Local hotels and resorts have out-of-town overnight guests for multiple nights with no empty rooms to be available.
Glynn went on to say, “As Lakes Jam grows, so does our economy. Lakes Jam might be the first time someone comes to our area, and once they are here-they recognize everything the area can provide, so the goal is to supply a great first experience. This way they will continue to come back and enjoy everything else this area has to offer. When they do that, they will change our economy repeatedly.”
From a technical perspective, Lakes Jam would not be successful without broadband fiber internet supplied throughout the venue – this is where CTC becomes the rockstar. “CTC started out supplying simple point-to-point wireless bridge—and has continued to add new facilities every year,” said CTC Field Supervisor Dave Weistroffer. “Currently CTC has 10 fiber optic high-speed internet connections with multiple wireless access points throughout the area. Those connections are used for gate ticketing, vendor wireless access, concert bowl wireless, production team wireless, backstage access, multiple hardwired locations, and so much more. CTC also provides a live-stage video stream over multiple TVs during the event,” said Weistroffer. With attendees in the crowd recording videos, snap chats, making TikTok’s, and streaming online, it is necessary to have fast, reliable internet available for these videos to be uploaded to social media accounts. Lakes Jam thrives on supplying a fun experience, and CTC thrives on giving an impressive experience with the services we can help supply at Lakes Jam.
Another partnership of both Lakes Jam and CTC is Smiles for Jake. Smiles for Jake is a non-profit organization, honoring the life of Jake Haapajoki-along with others who have lost their life to suicide. Smiles for Jake makes it their mission to help others in the community struggling with suicidal thoughts to receive help and the resources they need.
A few years back, a concertgoer at Lakes Jam was going to jump off a balcony during the concert. Because of this situation, in 2022, Smiles for Jake was able to provide a mobile crisis unit on the premises with a therapist and medic to be on-site 24/7 for any individual who may need mental health help. This mobile unit did get used in 2022 and will continue to be a resource this year for any individual who may need it.
With drinking, sometimes it can lead to depression or thoughts of suicide —as it can impair judgment Having resources for these individuals if needed – can help prevent someone from making a permanent decision to a temporary problem.
Along with CTC and Smiles for Jake – other area businesses, and non-profits take part and/or volunteer with Lakes Jam. Examples include the Brainerd Jaycees, Crisis Line, Crow Wing and Cass County employees, Camp Confidence, EMTs, and area police and fire department personnel. Lakes Jam has truly become a community effort. So many hands and organizations help Lakes Jam to be the best experience it can be for its concertgoers!
Lakes Jam has become one of the biggest festivals in Minnesota, partly due to its uniqueness. According to BIR’s website: BIR was created in 1968 by George Montgomery who carved a three-mile racetrack through a wooded area on the south side of North Long Lake. BIR hosts races for many diverse types of motorsports. BIR hosts the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals & MotoAmerica Superbike races, which draw in tens of thousands of viewers. BIR offers condominiums for rent-which face over the grandstands, 164 full-service campsites, and more than two hundred acres for open camping.
With the ability to use all areas of BIR, the opportunities are almost endless for ways Lakes Jam attendees can access the grounds. Lakes Jam is the only multi-day music festival that allows UTVs, ATVs, and golf carts to move around the campgrounds. Lakes Jam also offers fun events throughout the day such as drifting, water cross, lawnmower racing, bean bag tournaments, poker tournaments, and more.
Tyler Glynn said, “The venue alone makes Lakes Jam unique as it offers so much more than music. Although music is the driver, they offer so many other activities during the festival that continue to draw new people and supply options that concert attendees are looking for.”
At the end of the day, Lakes Jam continues to get bigger each year. This event helps increase activity at local businesses – along with boosting the Brainerd Lakes economy. It creates partnerships with various organizations, businesses, and nonprofits, and creates memories and experiences for its attendees-which will keep them coming back for more, every year. CTC is proud to be a continued sponsor. As Lakes Jam continues to grow and the need for more bandwidth, or as technology evolves-CTC will be there, to lend their helping hand—with internet that rocks!