A Jasper family who was displaced and forced to rebuild their lives following the wildfire is about to attend a concert for the eras.
The Beckmann family has won a trip to Vancouver, B.C. to attend Taylor Swift's Eras Tour this upcoming weekend.
“We’re all really excited for the gift of tickets and [there’s been] a lot going on lately, so [we’re] happy to [get] out of town,” said Meghan Beckmann.
Meghan has lived in Jasper for 23 years, while her husband James has been a resident his entire life. The whole family are Taylor Swift fans, with their two children Barrett, 14, and Violet, 11, growing up listening to her music.
“I used to work in housekeeping for a long time, so it was just easy to listen to, like happy and fun songs,” Meghan said.
The family was evacuated along with 25,000 other people on July 22. Although their home wasn’t destroyed, they live inside a recovery zone, where many of the surrounding houses have been reduced to rubble. The fire also destroyed HI Jasper where James worked, and he is currently seeking work.
“It's been overwhelming,” he said. “Living right in a recovery zone, for the kids, they have good days and it's kind of a rollercoaster of emotions right now. One day is fine, the next day is [not], but kind of the reality of the whole thing is setting in.”
For this family of Swifties, a vacation away from it all could not come at a better time. They were surprised with tickets as long-standing customers of Rogers, the presenting sponsor of the Eras Tour in Canada.
“After such a challenging year for families like the Beckmann's in Jasper, we wanted to provide them with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Leann Yutuc, spokesperson for Rogers Communications, in an email
The family will be flying to Vancouver and staying in a downtown hotel just a few blocks from BC Place, where the concert will take place.
Meghan noted this was an exciting opportunity for her children, who have never been to a concert nor flown on a plane before. Having regularly visited Vancouver growing up, she was excited to see how the city has changed, while James was most excited for the concert itself.
Besides the trip, the Beckmann's are also encouraged by how the debris cleanup has started in Jasper. James was adamant about wanting to stay in the town he grew up in, particularly since the kids were settled in school.
“It's having a positive outlook on the whole thing,” he said. “I like it here, and we want to continue raising our kids here.”
Editor's note: The family was gifted tickets rather than winning them in a contest.
