GREENFIELD — For the past 15 years, Recovery Jam, a sober music festival, shows people there is fun in recovery, and celebrates national recovery month in September. The jam is a family-oriented event featuring arts and crafts, activities, music and food.
The 15th annual Recovery Jam sober music festival will be on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. at Camp Kee-wanee on 1 Health Camp Road in Greenfield. The event is overseen by the RECOVER Project, a peer recovery center in Greenfield.
Food is included with tickets and is available from 3 to 5 p.m. There will be a pig roast from Adams Farms in Athol, as well as vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
There are also vendors and a silent auction as well as a snack bar.
This year’s Recovery Jam features performances from Voices Carry, Ghost Train, Changin’ Lanes, David Bazin’s Mojo Ride, the Leeds and the Glenwood Mills Band.
For the first time there will be a spoken word tent from noon to 5 p.m., featuring spoken word poetry from women in Voices Carry — a group of women who have been incarcerated or are in recovery who write together every week in the Voices from Inside workshop.
Tickets are $10 on Friday and $15 at the gate, and children 17 and under are free.
Children’s activities include hula-hoop making, bubble wands, hat and visor making and a blow-up obstacle course.
Jose Lopez of Greenfield said he likes the event because it’s welcoming to families.
“I like it personally because it’s a safe, drug-free, alcohol-free family event,” Lopez said. “It’s a place where we can come together as a community as some people with shared experiences.”
Facilitator of the social involvement committee for the RECOVER Project, Alice Fisher of Greenfield, said she thinks the event wraps up the end of the summer with fun and music.
“We get to see people from different areas and come together,” Fisher said. “I feel like the winter is harder for addicts and this helps us to start preparing for winter and celebrate together.”
Fisher said she feels it helps to wrap up her year because the group begins planning for the event in March.
Peer involvement and leadership development coordinator, Kaitlyn John said the jam helps to “promote the positive message that you can have fun without using substances.”
John added that other sober events like the Half Moon and Sober in the Sun, which occur on Memorial Day and Labor Day, help to combine communities and give people in recovery the chance to attend multiple sober events in the summer.
Volunteer Amie Hyson said while many people don’t identify a music festival as a sober event, it’s a safe and fun event.
“The big idea is to help people to understand they can have fun in recovery,” Hyson said. “I am involved because I believe it’s important to be of service, the essence of recovery is to give back to the community and the RECOVER Project, the jam and the Voices Inside allows me to do that using my unique gifts.”