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202320232023NNBAP.O. BOX 3177RENO, NV. 89505WWW.NNBA.ORG ContactCindy GraySecretarycindyg@nnba.org775-348-469237th Annual Bowers Blugrass FestivalSponsorship Opportunities
Our OrganizationThe Northern Nevada Bluegrass Association is a501c3 Arts & Education organization. Foundedin 1979 by a group of folks who love to playBluegrass Music, they hosted the 1st BowersBluegrass Festival in 1986.Ever since, the all-volunteer Board and a cadreof dedicated musicians have been offeringtwice monthly free workshops and jam sessionsto the public. A volunteer Bluegrass Band (theMonday Night Volunteers) maintains aperformance schedule of over 30 freeperformances a year at schools, assisted livingfacilities, community events and fundraisers. With incorporation as a 501c3 in 2004, NNBAbegan receiving partial funding from theNevada Arts Council, and the festival was ableto grow significantly. In addition, we beganhosting professional touring artists inoccasional ticketed concerts and workshopsthat put northern Nevada on the national radarof Bluegrass lovers.Internationally known Bluegrass artists such asTony Rice, Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, TheSpecial Consensus Band, Blue Highway, anddozens of others have appeared in concerts,workshops, meet n’ greets, and at the annualFestival, bringing people from many differentparts of the country to our area. Along the way, we made an importantdiscovery. Bluegrass music has importantlessons to teach. It arose in the early 20thcentury, the product of the shared sufferingand life experiences of America's mostdisenfranchised people. The mountains ofSouthern Appalachia, where Bluegrass musicoriginated, were sparsely populated withpoverty-stricken immigrants, Black, White,and displaced Indigenous people. In Bluegrass music, you find the dance musicof the Scotts-Irish and the Cherokee. Sacredhymns from Europe and Africa are stillperformed by Bluegrass musicians today. Theinstruments played by Bluegrass musiciansoriginated in Africa (banjo), RenaissanceEurope (fiddle) and ancient Egypt (guitar).Bluegrass music tells the stories of ordinaryAmericans of every stripe -- stories of loveand struggle, dance and toil. The simplicityand beauty of this earthy music pretty muchresonates with anyone who hears it.The Monday Night Volunteers ~ 2003First Festival Program ~ 1986
37th Annual Bowers Bluegrass FestivalPage 1 of 8-page newsprint Program ~ 2023In pursuit of our mission to bring people of allwalks of life, all ages, and all backgroundstogether to celebrate a common culturaltradition, our festival creates spaces andexperiences that build community. We have reserved the entire North GroupCampsite at Washoe Lake State Park for 4days. Jamming will be allowed 24 hours a day(this is a BIG part of every Bluegrass festival). Park Pavillions at all 3 parks have group activities planned -- a Jam Camp and Bar-B-Qon Thursday, Workshops, Dances and ..... ofcourse....jam sessions!On Friday and Saturday, the Main Stage atBowers Mansion Park will see 9 bands perform,including 5 local bands, 3 regional touring bands,and our national Headliner, The Po' Ramblin'Boys (recognized by the Smithsonian Institutionas a National Heritage Artist). Also appearing willbe a group of young fiddlers (with their teacher,National Fiddle Champion Holly Sternberg) thatrecently competed in the Nevada State FiddleContest. Additional features at the Bowers venue includeworkshops, vendors, a playground, the BluegrassPetting Zoo, a Beer & Wine Garden, and FoodTrucks. Sunday morning, the festival concludes with aBluegrass Gospel concert at the Davis CreekPark Amphitheater.
Some StatsFestival AttendanceWe measure attendance by counting the number of tickets sold. We do not count theapproximately 30 - 40 Volunteers that attend, or the Comps that we offer to sponsors.Ticket sales over the many years of this festival have varied greatly. Prior to the 2000s,there is very little data available, but here are some figures that show the ups and downsover the last 20 years:2005 -- 1,254 tickets sold @ $18 apiece (single day event)2010 -- 457 tickets sold @ $30 apiece (single day event)2015 -- 363 tickets sold @ $35 apiece (single day event)2019 -- 448 tickets sold @ $35 apiece (1 ½ day event)2022 -- 327 tickets sold @ $40 apiece (2 day event)2023 -- many changes have been made; event now includes 4 days of activities; ticketoptions range from $25 (single events) to $80 (All Access Passes) with significant discountsfor NNBA members and an Early Bird ticket sale window which runs from April 12 to July30. Sales of tickets and memberships are already occuring via our website portal at a goodclip, and our goal for 2023 is to sell at least 900 ticketsFestival DemographicsWe have little data to report on demographics, as our festival is open to everyone. We donot ask for racial or ethnic information on our online surveys or in our membershipapplication. I think it is fair to say that the demographic category that our festivalappeals to the most is Families.Festival AccessibilityTo make our festival more accessible to individuals with disabilities, NNBA reserves anentire parking lot nearest to the stage for vehicles with handicapped placards. We rent golfcarts to offer shuttle service to and from the larger, but more distant, main parking area.Restroom facilities at the park are not sufficient for the number of festival attendees, so werent wheelchair accessible portapotties and wash stations along with regular portabletoilets. Golf cart assistance is available to all, and post signs that say, "Wave at us to get aride!" on the carts.Extracted from our 2023 Application for a Project Grantfrom the Nevada Arts Council
Sponsorship OpportunitiesFor over 30 years, the Bowers Bluegrass Festivalhas been produced by dedicated volunteerswith very limited resources. The pandemicprovided us with living proof that, "You don'tknow what you got 'till it's gone!" Not only didour dedicated membership feel the pain andsorrow of two years with no festival, but itenergized all of us to appreciate and value thistreasure that so many folks before us havenurtured. Our event exit surveys have also shown us somepleasant surprises -- out-of-state Bluegrass fansrave to us about the gorgeous setting for ourfestival, the "intimacy" of it (compared to othermassive commercial festivals), the incredibleviews and most of all, the great music and the ease of getting "up close and personal" with theartists as well as our "friendly locals".Thank you for your consideration of thesponsorship opportunities shown on the next 3pagesWe invite you to peruse our three Sponsorship Opportunities, and to consider joining our fabulous 2023 team:Opportunity #1, Regional Band Sponsorships - 2 available Opportunity #2, Local Band Sponsorships - 3 availableOpportunity #3, Stage Sponsorships - 4 available
Sponsorship Opportunity #1Regional Band Sponsorship ~ $3,000In October each year, we put out a call inviting Bluegrass and Old Time bands from California, Oregon,Washington, Idaho and Utah to apply to play at our festival. We offer them 2 nights accommodations anda "going rate" artist fee. This year, we had 11 bands apply to play, and, through a rigorous selection processperformed by a committee of NNBA members, we selected these three excellent bands. A sponsorship of $3,000 will include ad space in the Festival Program acknowledging and thanking thesponsor, a 3'x6' sponsor banner displayed on our stage, 4 Festival Passes, and sponsor logo displayed onour website for 12 months.
Sponsorship Opportunity #2Local Band Sponsorship ~ $2,000We are very proud of our local bands! Most of these folks have been members of our organization formany years, and have volunteered many hours as jam hosts, workshop instructors, members of the MondayNight Volunteers, or otherwise shared their talents, hard work and time to help NNBA serve thecommunity. Playing the Main Stage at the Bowers Festival is a huge deal for our local bands, and there is ahighly competitive selection process required to earn the spots. A sponsorship of $2,000 will include ad space in the Festival Program acknowledging and thanking thesponsor, a 3'x6' sponsor banner displayed on our stage, 4 Festival Passes, and sponsor logo displayed onour website for 12 months. This sponsorship will allow us to pay each band you see below a respectfulhonorarium and to also make a contribution to the Nevada Old Time Fiddle Association that hosts theNevada State Fiddle Contest.
Sponsorship Opportunity #3Stage Sponsor ~ $1,000Our stage needs some dressing up! For the first time this year, we will have performances that last until aftersunset, so we have additional technical requirements, such as stagelighting, audience area lighting and Beer & Wine Garden lighting! Ofcourse, we also wish to have some decorative additions -- a few hay balesand flower pots, perhaps? We have a group of volunteers eager todecorate, and we trust them to do a great job with whatever materials wecan provide to them! A $1,000 stage sponsorship will include ad space in the Festival Programacknowledging and thanking the sponsor, a 3'x6' sponsor bannerdisplayed on our stage, 2 Festival Passes, and sponsor logo displayed onour website for 12 months.
Our CredentialsNorthern Nevada Bluegrass AssociationEIN - 94-3056161Date of Incorporation- Oct. 1, 2004Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3177 Reno, NV. 89505Physical Address: 5 Sierra View Road Reno, NV. 89506Contact Person: Cindy Gray, Secretary cindyg@nnba.org 775-348-46922023 Board of DirectorsRandy Wilson, PresidentRay Ritch, Vice PresidentSue Newberry, TreasurerCindy Gray, SecretaryEric Lovejoy, MembershipNeil Linden, ActivitiesTim Miller, OutreachOur website: https://www.nnba.org/Our Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/BluegrassinNorthernNevada/