Photo courtesy of Dam Jam Attendees at a previous Dam Jam music festival enjoy the sights and sounds of the Calumet area music festival. The 2022 edition is back after COVID-19 put the music on pause over the past two years.

By RANDY CROUCH

Mining  Journal, Marquette

CALUMET — Calumet is getting back into the groove the weekend of July 1 as the Dam Jam music festival makes a triumphant return after COVID-19 put the music on hold each of the last two years.

The family-friendly festival gets underway Friday, July 1, and continues through Saturday night at the Calumet Lions Park.

The fifth annual festival returns with an intriguing lineup of musical artists from all around the Midwest. The music never stops with two stages of continuous tunes, without overlapping sets so attendees can see every artist without missing out.

Headlined by Chicago quartet Mungion, Ypsilanti jam band Stormy Chromer and Marquette-based funk outfit Not Quite Canada, the 2022 edition of the Dam Jam is the biggest yet with a dozen additional artists.

While the music is the main event, there is no shortage of activities to do at Calumet Lions Park. The park features a disc golf course, horseshoe pits, picnic areas, and a playground and trails for hiking and biking.

“It has been hard not being able to do this over the last two years,” said Dam Jam co-founder James “Jum” Newman. “We enjoy bringing the event to the community and getting people together. It’s been a long two years for everyone, so we are excited to get this back going so we can all celebrate music, art and fun here in Calumet.”

Newman says that while the last two years haven’t been easy, getting the festival back on track has been a mostly positive experience.

“There are some things that have changed, we had to shake some rust off getting it ready, but for the most part we plan on going like we have in the past,” Newman said. “We’ve brought in some bigger acts, improved the staging and made sure that there are plenty of food options and more variety in the vendors.”

There will be plenty of local flavor with the vendors. 86’d Streetfoodz out of Marquette will have burritos and specialty hot dogs on offer. Bizmak’s BBQ will have plenty of options and Miller’s Lanes from Laurium will be providing wings n’ things. Plenty of other clothing, arts, crafts and festival goods vendors will be in attendance as well.

Proceeds from the festival will go to the Calumet Lions Park for continued improvements to the grounds.

Festival attendees can camp on-site for an additional fee. Tickets are now available online at www.damjamup.com and can also be purchased on site. Preordered tickets are offered at a discounted price. The website also features the full band lineup and information about how to be a vendor or a volunteer.

The Dam Jam is sponsored by businesses that include Calumet Electronics, 97.7 the Wolf, Northern Specialty Health and Glacia.