“Time flies when you’re having fun”, as the saying goes. Can you believe the summer of 2019 is almost over? For many people, the last week of August means winding down summer’s energy, and settling in for the mellowness of fall. Some kids have already started a new school year, and the rest will start in a few days time. Here at Lakedale however, we’re still going full speed with preparations for the Labor Day weekend and our third annual Lakedale Jazz Festival!
Holiday weekends are always a little crazy in the hospitality industry, regardless of where you are in the world. Memorial Day is our summer kickoff and Labor Day signals the end of our busy season. While we think being at Lakedale is an entertaining proposition anytime of the year, we’re always inventing fun events to make our guest’s experience even better. A couple of years ago we decided it would be cool to invite some jazz musicians to Lakedale to jam over the Labor Day weekend. Our guests would enjoy the music and our team could participate as well. Whistle while you work, right?
It also happens that our General Manager is a musician himself, and birds of a feather flock together. With a few phone calls and emails, he had a stellar lineup of well-known jazz artists lined up, all anxious to spend their holiday weekend with us and our guests! Throw in food from Tina’s Tacos, wine from Sagelands, and beer from Oskar Blues, and we had an exciting event: relaxing and fun for folks of all ages and robust enough for the jazz fiends among us!
Speaking of musicians, we think this year’s artist lineup is the best yet! World-renowned jazz guitarist Brian Nova will be back this year with his trio, along with special guests: Greta Matassa, Fred Radke, Stephanie Porter, Max Holmberg, Terry Miller, Primo Kim, Oliver Strasser, Chance Hayden and many more. San Juan Island is a hotbed of artistic talent, so we’ve also invited a few of Lakedale’s friends and family to participate as well. Yes, some of us can bounce between playing drum sets and running an 82-acre resort property at the same time!
Of course, we’re happy about the progress and growth of our Jazz Festival, but we’re especially proud of what it gives us the opportunity to do. This event is a benefit weekend for the San Juan Islands School Music programs and Terry’s Kids/San Francisco Music Study Center. Lakedale donates 100% of ticket sales to bring music and music education programs into schools, not only on our island, but around the globe!
Let’s make sure we’ve got this straight: a weekend of amazing jazz music in a gorgeous outdoor setting, all benefitting a wonderful cause, and you don’t have to go to work on Monday? Sounds like a great plan to us! Well, all except for the not working on Monday part, because we kind of need to be here, but feel free to tell us what that part is like! Make sure to check out the Lakedale Jazz Festival details, and we hope to see you this weekend!
