FORTVILLE — To further celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kammy’s Kause, Jared Hiner, founder of Kammy’s Kause, went before Fortville Town Council to get the event approved for two days — August 23 and 24, 2024.
Hiner said while it is hard to believe it’s been 20 years and Kam being 20 years old now, it’s going to be a monumental year for them.
“This year with it being the 20th year for Kammy’s Kause, that’s a pretty big deal for us,” Hiner said. “The fact that we’ve been doing this now for 20 years and it’s just getting bigger and better every year. This past year was our biggest ever.”
For 2023, Hiner said that they raised and donated more than $100,000 — more than what their total gross was for 2022 — to go toward supporting those with 4p- and Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome (WHS), rare chromosomal disorders.
Hiner said that Kammy’s Kause used to be a two-day event held at the American Legion campground off of Ind. 13, but as the Kause grew, they had to move locations.
As the event continues to grow even more, Hiner said he wanted to expand the event into Friday night again, and by feeling nostalgic, Hiner wanted to get back to the roots of the two-day event.
Friday evening would allow businesses on Main Street a chance to participate in the event if they wish. Hiner said that, as of Monday night’s meeting, there are 10-12 businesses interested and about 15 different musicians committed to the idea, who otherwise would have not been able to play with the one-day format.
That Friday night would have multiple different spots hosting musicians and allowing those businesses to stay open later for extra foot traffic. Hiner said the idea would be similar to a passport, having a goal of getting to each and every spot.
Hiner said that the evening would most likely take place from 7-10 p.m. with a location to host an after event with music.
Hiner said this added evening would not look to shut down Main Street, but keep the foot traffic to the sidewalks and inside the participating businesses.
The Saturday, all-day event would then be at Landmark Park like in the years previous, with the 15th annual Kammy’s Ride taking place that morning. Closures for Saturday would look to be just a section of Staat Street near the park.
Hiner said at the meeting they are wanting to get this determined now and ahead of time to allow ample time for posters and signage custom made to businesses and musicians to tell the public who is playing where and at what time.
The town council members agreed that adding a second day would be a good idea. The event request for the second day was approved by the board, 5-0.
“I feel like the town is becoming aware and understanding what Kammy’s Kause is and the support has just been unreal,” said Hiner at the meeting.
Hiner said that while the second day for the event is approved, their ideas are still evolving and are going to fine tune the two-day event more as time gets closer.
For more information about -4p, WHS or Kammy’s Kause, visit kammyskause.org.
