On Sunday afternoon, music magic took place in Centennial Park.
As festival-goers sprawled out on the field, taking in the sunshine, the mountains and the moment, a group of musicians took to the stage—an ensemble that had never before met.
“Bright Light Social Hour was up there with the Pick Brothers and one guy from the Royal Streets and then there was Willy [Saunders] and Monika [Schaefer] and Kiki the Eco Elf,” recalls festival coordinator Cristin Murphy. “I was thinking: this is exactly what we’re looking for. It was exactly how I envisioned the Sunday jam.
“It always amazes me to see musicians who have never in their lives played together pull something like that off—and with all of those local musicians, that was a moment where I was like, ‘Wow!’”
The Sunday jam was the culmination of the second annual Jasper Folk Music Festival, marking the end of three days of music in the mountains.
The festival kicked off on Friday night and saw Jasperites and visitors alike show up to dance away the cold weather—and it worked. The remainder of the weekend was graced with blue, sun-drenched skies.
Beyond Sunday’s jam, other highlights include the weekend’s headliners: Shred Kelly and Bright Light Social Hour. Both nights, the crowd was on its feet, enthusiastically grooving along at the front of the stage right to the end.
“It was fabulous,” said Murphy. “We are all really happy, and everyone I spoke to is happy, too.”
Simon Chisotti, the festival’s media coordinator, said he doesn’t yet have concrete attendance numbers, but he figures they are at least on par with last year.
“The weather wasn’t as nice as last year, but that didn’t stop people from showing up, especially for the Saturday,” he said.
“It was definitely a success,” added Stephanie Lavoie, the festival’s volunteer coordinator. “Our volunteers were amazing. Seeing them smile all throughout the grounds was great—they were having fun and getting the job done.
“The weekend exceeded our expectations, and we’re in a good position; we can do this again next year!”
But first the festival organizers are taking a quick breather. They will reconvene in November for the society’s annual general meeting and then planning will start for 2015.
Nicole Veerman
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