Travel Alberta and Big Valley Jamboree create contest to bring country music to small Alberta communities

Small Town Saturday Night mobilizes rural Alberta to showcase local tourism experiences 

2013-01-11 — /travelprnews.com/ — Travel Alberta has partnered with Big Valley Jamboree for a second year to celebrate Alberta’s rural stories by offering them a chance to win a day-long country music celebration on April 27, 2013 in their home town through a contest called “Small Town Saturday Night”.

The grand prize includes a concert headlined by Canadian country music artist Chad Brownlee and a songwriters circle hosted by Alberta’s own Clayton Bellamy featuring Alee, Bobby Wills and Tenille. Big Valley’s Master of Ceremonies Danny Hooper will emcee the event. In addition to the excitement of hosting this once-in-a-lifetime concert experience, the winning community can use the event as a fundraiser to support a local charity or municipal initiative of their choice.

The 2012 event resulted in The Town of Legal raising a total of $93,000 for The Friends of Legal School Society to build a new playground for the community.

“Our rural towns are filled with the spirit of hospitality and cooperation – welcoming places where neighbours help each other get the job done.  We’re asking communities to come together once again to show off their talent and creativity for the chance to host the 2013 Small Town Saturday Night celebration,” said Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation.  “After the tremendous response from across Alberta last year, I’m excited to see how communities pull out all the stops to share their hometown pride with the rest of our province.”

Entering is simple:

• Choose a venue within the community where the event will be hosted
• Connect with a group of passionate locals
• Create a two-minute video showcasing what makes your community a great place to visit
• Upload your video to YouTube and submit your official entry form
• Invite your friends, neighbors and entire community to vote for your video online

The deadline for entries is February 28, 2013. A panel of experts will narrow down the eligible entries, choosing the top ten submissions based on their depiction of community spirit and involvement, passion for local tourism experiences and events, local characters and creativity. The top ten will be announced to the public on March 5,2013 and this will be followed by a public vote for the grand-prize winner, ending on March 25, 2013.The winning community will be announced on March 28, 2013 and the grand prize concert will take place on April 27, 2013.

More than 200 communities in Alberta qualify for the contest, which is open to communities of 20,000 people or less.

For complete rules and regulations and to download the official information package and entry form please visit www.bigvalleyjamboree.com/STSN.

-30-

For further information or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Jessica Harcombe Fleming
Media Relations, Canada
Travel Alberta
403.648.1044 / 587.894.2257 (cell)
Jessica.harcombefleming@travelalberta.com

Andrew Fisher
Press Secretary
Tourism, Parks and Recreation
780.643.9123 / 780.221.4615 (cell)
andrew.fisher@gov.ab.ca