Organizers behind a new event hope Vancouverites will bring their fanciest cowboy gear and best southern accents to Stanley Park for a country-immersive barbecue at the Brockton baseball diamond Saturday, Sept. 12.
The novel event is limited to those at least 19 years old and will feature local alt-country and bluegrass rhythm artists The Matinee, Robyn & Ryleigh, and The Tishomingo String Band. Southern food will range from corn dogs to corn on the cob, with smokies, cowboy steaks, and beer-can chicken at “Vancouver’s Ultimate Backyard Barbecue.”
“One of the most important things of an experiential event is authenticity,” said Mike Schwarz, CEO of MyZone Media which is producing the event with Wet Ape Productions.
“And authenticity comes down to hundreds of details and I know that the [partner] Wet Ape team can actually keep on that.”
The Molson Pilsner brand, every food vendor, and all “wranglers,” (their social media ambassadors) were handpicked to fit the theme.
While sporting their finest “country bumpkin’ outfits,” guests are encouraged to partake in team games — registered for ahead of time — like “Footloose Foosball,” a human-sized version of foosball, and “Hillbilly Hustle,” including classic wheelbarrow, three-legged, and potato sack races.
There will be no beer garden for the event because everyone at the site will be able to drink and roam about freely, thanks to changes made to the Liquor Control and Licensing Act which officially became law on May 29. One significant revision to the act included easier accessibility and dispensing of special events permits for event operators, businesses, and other hosts.
“This is an example,” said Schwarz, “of where those liquor laws are helping to erase that ‘no fun’ city brand that we’ve had for years…When you have a beer garden, sometimes it can be the most vibrant place and then the entire event area can be less exciting because everyone’s sort of clustered in one area. So that’s one element I’m excited about.”
The event is licensed to serve 2,000 guests that day. The loss of beer gardens came into effect in April 2014, before the new act became official.
“An event like this wouldn’t be possible without a liquor licence like that,” said Schwarz.
Confident of a successful turnout this year, Schwarz hopes to expand Unbuckled to different cities around Canada next year.
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