Hammerfest & Flashback
The adventure with Flashbacks has been more than eventful. It started at the beginning of May when Chad from Flashbacks came on board with an advertising package with us, and we got to work right away.
Within a day or two, we developed a concept for an event that could be hosted on his property, with support from local business friends and the community. In under 30 days, we brought the first Hammer Open Mic event to life. It felt impossible at first glance and definitely came with challenges, but Flashbacks and The Hammer were up for it.
Over that month, we secured 15+ business sponsorships for door prizes and put together 100 goodie bags to give away. The main challenge was figuring out where to host an open mic with only a 10×10 space, but the momentum was already building before the stage was even built.
While Chad and I were brainstorming over coffee and conversation, an anonymous sponsor generously provided the wood needed to build a stage/platform for the open mic. My father and I began building it, though it did mean sacrificing a garden that Chad and his father had spent a lot of time on.
After about five hours, the stage was complete and ready to be shared on social media. Shortly after, permit concerns were raised by bylaw, but after a respectful two-hour conversation with the officer, everything was brought up to standard and the event moved forward. It’s always important to follow the proper rules when hosting community events.
The day before the event was easily the most stressful. In high temperatures, Kate, Brenda, Terry, and I—along with Chad—handled final setup for the big day, which coincided with the Concession Street Festival on June 6, 2026. We assembled 100 goodie bags from our sponsors, which took over four hours for the four of us—longer than expected.
On the day of the event, strong winds rolled in for a few hours, but Kate stepped in with duct tape and made sure everything stayed in place. We had incredible classic cars visit, along with a wide range of local talent from across Hamilton.
Terry Rhodes really stole the show, performing for hours and hosting one of the most impressive sets I’ve seen in those conditions. He kept the stage active and supported every performer throughout the day. Shoutout to Penny Pinchers, Terry, and Brenda for being real anchors in making the event possible—we couldn’t have done it without you.
Kate was also a key part of the event, handling sponsors, door prizes, goodie bags, event marketing, and volunteering her time to help run a great open mic. The event ran smoothly and had a strong family-friendly atmosphere. My father, daughter, and wife were all involved, along with Chad’s parents, who were also part of the journey.
During the 30-day lead-up, we also promoted Flashbacks heavily, which increased Facebook followers by 33%. Traffic and views reached well over 500K on The Hammer page. We gained new customers and significant exposure—and from the video above, another happy customer as well.
