By Mark Laden
BALA – Bala's loss is Wasaga Beach's gain, after the organizers of the largest Wakeboard World Cup event moves to the Georgian Bay shores and out of Northern Ontario.
Wakestock has been held in Bala for the last four years, attracting more than 20,000 wakeboarding and water skiing enthusiasts annually. The event features the top professional wakeboarders from around the world, competing for more than $55,000 in cash and prizes.
Bala is within the boundaries of Muskoka Lakes Township and the municipality's mayor says she is not surprised to see the event, which runs from August 8 to 11, move to a new location.
"We had heard rumors that Wakestock was moving, despite assurances from organizers that it would be back in Bala," says Susan Pryke. "I had actually met the Wasaga Beach OPP detachment commander earlier this year, and I was led to believe that they were in discussions at that time."
"Steve Jarret, the organizer of the event, has told me that he is moving it for purely business reasons. He has substantial costs when he holds the event in Bala..."
Also this time around, Muskoka Lakes Township council asked that two of the events held in conjunction with Wakestock be cancelled. Those two events, a motorcycle demonstration and night skiing, have corporate sponsors that go a long way to paying for the four day festival.
The geography of Bala also makes it difficult for us to hold an event that gets as big as Wakestock, adds Pryke.
Wakestock generates between $950,000 and $5.7 million for the local economy. Even at the bottom end that is a significant amount of money for a village of just less than 500. Despite the jolt to business, there is quite an organized opposition to Wakestock and Pryke admits many people in Bala will not be sorry to see it go.
To offset the loss of Wakestock, Pryke says the township is looking at ways to increase ecotourism in the Bala area and a strategic plan is being developed now to do just that.
"We can embrace all the natural beauty of Bala, the falls in the middle of the village and the proximity to other natural sites..."
"Eventually, though, there may be many regrets that we've lost that world attention that Muskoka Lakes Township gets during August every year."
