SPRUCE PINE — After being canceled in 2020 during the ongoing pandemic, the Toe Jam Music Festival returned in a condensed format on Saturday, May 29 on Lower Street in downtown Spruce Pine.
Dubbed The Pinky Toe Jam, the condensed festival featured just two local bands— The Rewind and The Pierce Danger Band— and served as a sampling of what is on tap for the larger Toe Jam II, which is planned for Labor Day weekend (Saturday, Sept. 4) of this year.
Pinky Toe Jam was a free event that Toe Jam organizer Jimmy Hinshaw said was vital to have ahead of the larger festival later this year.
“After the hard year we had, everyone needed some sense of normalcy,” he said. “Since we couldn’t do Toe Jam last year, I was approached by people who said ‘just put something on.’ It’s a smaller event but I love to give back to the community.”
The event got underway at 6 p.m. when The Rewind took the stage to entertain the crowd. A line dance party and costume contest followed before The Pierce Danger Band began playing at 8:30 p.m., entertaining music lovers until about 10 p.m.
Hinshaw said he received great support from the Town of Spruce Pine and said the event should have everyone ready for Toe Jam II in September.
“I have a talent for pulling these things together and I feel obligated to share it with everyone,” Hinshaw said.
Unlike the regular Toe Jam Festival, Pinky Toe Jam had no outside vendors, which Hinshaw said was a calculated choice he made with the hopes of encouraging attendees to support local businesses.
Since no beverages were for sale at the show, attendees were encouraged to purchase a Toe Jam cup for $1 and get a beverage to carry out to the concert area from Bierdock, Hef’s or Niki’s Italian Bistro.
“We really wanted to showcase Bierdock, Hef’s and Niki’s,” Hinshaw said. “A lot of these restaurants struggled because no one could go out for the majority of the year.”
Hinshaw said holding Pinky Toe Jam only whet his appetite for seeing the festival return to 100 percent later this year at Toe Jam II.
“I will be so excited,” he said. “It’s such a fun event. I enjoy it probably more than anyone else.”
Hinshaw added that continuing to hold events showcasing local musical talent is part of his vision for eventually seeing Spruce Pine turn into a “miniature Nashville” where there is live music all over downtown.
“I think we’re getting closer to that,” Hinshaw said. “It’s exciting.”