Jasper’s talent pool runs deep.
There is no better example of that than the Jasper Folk Music Festival held last weekend.
Not only did the event pull together innovative minds to get things organized, it also put local musicians, artisans and culinary geniuses on display.
The result: a festival made by Jasperites for Jasperites.
Of course, in the future there is plenty of room to grow and welcome out-of-towners to the event, but this year—the first after a six-year hiatus for the festival—was as local as you can get; everywhere you turned there was a familiar face to greet you, whether in the crowd or on the stage.
Festival-goers danced with their neighbours, colleagues and friends, while listening to Five Alarm Funk and Oscar Lopez, as well as the musical stylings of local musicians like the Randal Scott Band, and Emma Acorn and Some Irish Pirates—the winners of the Battle Royale.
And on Sunday, they heard from Monika Schaefer, Koltin Rea, Cristin Murphy, Matt Cushing and others who all took to the stage for a jam with the festival’s musicians.
Beyond the music, there were also yoga workshops led by Andrea Watson-Quick and Alisen Charlten, a hula-hoop workshop with Shawna Woelke and mediation workshops with Patrick Mooney.
There was food by the Deli Man and Coco’s Cafe, as well as the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre, and there were local wares on sale created by talented artisans like Sandra Hayward and Nicole Gaboury.
By all accounts, the weekend was a huge success, proving that not only does Jasper have the know-how to throw a festival, it also has the talent and community to make it a spectacular event that leaves everyone begging for more.
So, it’s lucky for us that the weekend didn’t quite wear the committee down to the bone. In fact, by the sounds of things, those hardworking folks are more than ready to plan round two for next year.
(Although, they’ll likely take a well-deserved breather before they get down to business yet again.)
For us at the 51°µÍø, we’re excited to see this event grow and succeed into the future, but we also hold out hope that the local touches remain, so that next year’s event maintains the grassroots, small town vibes that made last weekend so spectacular.
