James Murdock of River Street Promotions announced the artist lineup and major participating sponsors for this year’s Homestand ’23 concert on March 10 during a gathering at the recently opened Luby Bower Distillery.
The concert is to take place once again in Moose Jaw’s Ross Wells Ball Park on Saturday, Sep. 9.
Funds raised will be divided between supporting the beautification and maintenance of Ross Wells Park, and the River Street Promotions (RSP) fund, which is held by Moose Jaw’s local school divisions for the benefit of youth mental wellness across southern Saskatchewan.
“River Street Promotions is thrilled to announce that headlining Homestand ’23 is Juno- and CCMA-award winning artist Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans,” Murdock said. “Also on the bill is an artist that we actually asked to play Homestand ’21 and ’22, and we’re thrilled that she finally said yes for year three. This artist is two-time CCMA winner — for Roots Artist of the Year — Lindi Ortega.
“There is more, though! Rocking the ballpark on September 9 … performing in Moose Jaw for the first time with his full band … is the great Mike Plume. And opening the show — right after the ‘Riders break Winnipeg’s hearts in the Banjo Bowl — is Lloydminster, Saskatchewan’s own rising country star Jordyn Pollard.”
RSP was represented at the announcement by Jared Mathieson, James Murdock, and Shea Jameson. RSP members Andy Hamilton and Joel Stewart were unable to attend.
RSP is also assisted by a Homestand committee consisting of Mark Novecosky, Chris Olfert, Jamey Logan, Laurie Kosior, Jocelyn Froehlich, Lyndsay Hanson, Curtis O'Reilly, Kenric Phillips, John Iatridis, Derek Duzan, and Brett Williams.
Amanda Olson, Superintendent of Learning for Prairie South School Division, and Brad Moser, Co-ordinator of HR and Learning at Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, represented Moose Jaw and surrounding area’s school divisions.
Major Sponsors are K+S and Great Plains Power Station
Homestand ‘23’s major sponsors are K+S Potash and the Great Plains Power Station worksite. K+S has been a partner with Homestand from the beginning, and the Great Plains Power Station site is a group of contractors and subcontractors led by Burns & McDonnell that have united over the past few years to lend major support to local charitable causes in Moose Jaw.
Chelsea Iatridis represented KS Potash Canada (KSPC) at the event. Paige Gignac, Community Investment Specialist with K+S, provided the following statement for the media:
“KSPC is committed to giving young people access to more that matters by supporting programs that support their health and wellbeing. With our outstanding partners, our Youth + Us program allows young people to celebrate diversity, discover what drives them, and develop essential life skills to help them grow mentally, physically, and emotionally. We are proud to be the title sponsor for Homestand 2023, supporting youth mental health initiatives in Moose Jaw. It is essential for KSPC to give back to the communities where our employees live and work and we look forward to this year’s event.”
“Since day one, we’ve been doing charity events, and actually this June will be our third annual Burns and McDonnell golf tournament,” said Josh Hauser, project manager at the Great Plains Power Station site. “All the proceeds from that are going to Homestand ’23. So, it’s not just Burns & McDonnell, it’s us, SaskPower, and all of our local vendors and subcontractors, of which we’ve had over 100.”
Burns & McDonnell’s last charity golf tournament raised $26,000 for Hunger in Moose Jaw.
Prairie South and Holy Trinity
Olson told MooseJawToday.com at the announcement that RSP’s events raise awareness of and remind people that mental health wellness is just as important as physical wellness.
“They get people talking openly about mental health and this is helping break down the stigma that can sometimes be associated with this particular topic,” she said. “We use the RSP fund to support both division and individual school initiatives — initiatives that build mental health wellness awareness, that equip children and youth with mental health wellness strategies and tools, that provide students with opportunities to better their own mental health wellness and the mental health wellness of others.”
“The community of Moose Jaw is so generous, and the businesspeople of Moose Jaw that give their time to do these types of things are absolutely amazing, because they’re seeing what our kids need,” Moser commented.
“Mental health issues have been around forever, but we certainly are seeing more since the pandemic. This large blanket of support now available for our kids is so helpful, and for some families that need it the most and maybe don’t have access, now we’re able to provide some access through our schools.”
