At the inaugural Sober Social in 2023, which included live music, mocktails, and support materials from numerous mental health initiatives, organizer Jeff Desender wasn’t sure what to expect. "There's a certain stigma in smaller communities that follows those types of topics,” says Desender, “so we weren't sure how it was going to take, but we had a really good turnout."

In the event’s second year, it’s planning on going even bigger than the first. The social has moved to a bigger venue and is running an hour longer than last year with additional musical acts and a new award presentation for “mental health advocate of the year.” The recognition is designed to go to an individual who doesn’t work in the field of mental health but volunteers their time.

"It's not just a small town anymore,” says Desender. “It's starting to raise that awareness of it outside of our community as well and bring them into our town to see what we have here."

Desender stresses that it is an all-ages event for several reasons. One is a focus on families who don’t necessarily have a lot of venues where they can enjoy live music together. There is a correlation between alcohol or other substances with the live music scene in the public consciousness, and venues like the Sober Social and new sponsor Club 1202 out of Brandon are needed to counter that.

Another reason is a recognition that young people under the age of 18 also struggle with issues of mental health and addiction and Desender wants to ensure that they have equal access to resources as well as a friendly, social, and maybe even inspirational atmosphere.

This year’s Sober Social will be held on June 7 at the Royal Canadian Legion. Tickets are $10, and the event runs from 6 pm to midnight. Desender is still also welcoming sponsors for the event and nominees for the mental health advocate of the year at frozenfirestudios@outlook.com.