For Immediate Release - August 25, 2006:: Back
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Shelter Valley’s 100 Mile
Diet
By David Sheffield
What if we committed ourselves to eat only food that was produced
within 100 miles of where we live? That’s a question
Shelter Valley Folk Festival organizers have been asking themselves.
Maria Calderone, co-ordinator for the event’s hospitality
area, says "it’s a really conscious way to eat,
because you have to get creative."
The so-called 100 Mile Diet started as an experiment by Vancouver
residents Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon to live for one year "with
the rhythms of the land as our ancestors did." They
chose the imperial measurement rather than 100 kilometres just
to give themselves a little more breathing room.
The project caught the attention of people all over the world who
now are planning single meals, a whole day or a week of meals using locally grown food.
Shelter Valley Folk Festival, coming up this Labour Day weekend,
places a high value on supporting its local community, so the
idea of sourcing food nearby was a perfect fit. "It
starts building a dialogue between the people growing the food
and the consumer," says Ms. Calderone. "You are developing
relationships that sustain the community."
She, along with assistant
Debra Westbrook and crew chiefs Beth Sheffield and Janet
Herbert, have arranged all the food and, along with a hospitality
crew of 25, will be preparing meals for more than 250 community
volunteers over the course of the weekend.
Shelter Valley Folk Festival hospitality co-ordinator
Maria Calderone, left, and crew chief Beth Sheffield. Photo
by David Sheffield
Another
50 festival village participants, as well as musicians and
their families, bring to more than 350 the number gathered
around outdoor tables at mealtimes. Mindful of the increased
number of people she is feeding this year, Ms. Calderone has
planted a supplemental garden of fresh herbs and tomatoes.
In the area called The Harvest Table, food vendors will offer
a variety of tasty choices to the festival’s weekenders. Exotic
cuisine such as jerk chicken and roti will be served by Caribbean
Flavah from Whitby. The Shelter Valley grill sandwich and cheese
quesadillas will be provided by Cobourg’s Oasis Bar and
Grill. Organic salads and vegetarian chili will be dished up
by a new vendor, Peterborough’s The Garden Market, and
festival-goers will be able to purchase baked potatoes, corn
on the cob and apple crisp, all made with ingredients from Northumberland
County farms and orchards.
Food typically travels between 2,400 and 4,000 kilometres
from farm to table, a figure that’s up 25 per cent since
1980. The varieties of fruits and vegetables that are
shipped long distances to a local supermarket are chosen for
their ability to withstand industrial harvesting and extended
travel. It’s not unusual to find, for example, low-priced
California strawberries with flavour like cardboard on supermarket
shelves in this area while freshly picked strawberries are
available at a family-run farm market nearby.
"When you start looking at it," Ms. Calderone says, "there
is an incredible variety of food available within a 100 mile
radius of where we live." Drawing such a circle
around the Henkel farm near Grafton, the festival site, includes
Algonquin Park, the Niagara Peninsula and the cities of Kingston
and Rochester. A menu from inside that circle could include
garden vegetables, wild blueberries, maple syrup, peaches and
plums, a variety of meats, fish, wild rice and bread.
Favouring locally grown food for the Shelter Valley Folk Festival,
which falls during harvest time in Ontario, may be a great
idea, but Ms. Calderone isn't sure she could give up some of
her favourite imported ingredients. "If I were going
to live entirely on the 100 Mile Diet, I would need to figure
out how to grow olives here," she says.
Farmers and gardeners wishing to help the Shelter Valley Folk
Festival feed its volunteers can make donations of locally
grown produce by dropping off their bounty at the festival’s
Cobourg office, 47 King St. W., on Wednesday, Aug. 30. The
office telephone number is 905-377-9556.
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival, a grassroots family weekend
of music, art, wellness and fine food, takes place Sept. 1-3.
The volunteer-run, not-for-profit event this year features Canadian
folk legend Murray McLauchlan and Universal recording artist
Sarah Harmer among its acts. Tickets are limited and are available
online at www.sheltervalley.com, at the festival office (47 King
St W., Cobourg) or at the gate.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release - August 1, 2006 :: Back
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Shelter
Valley Artists
By Melanie Browne
In only its third year of life, the Shelter Valley Folk Festival's
artists' village is coming of age. Sixteen individuals and one
small collective will offer an intriguing mix of painting, sculpture,
mixed media works, musical instruments, jewellery and clothing.
Sixteen individuals and one small collective will offer an intriguing mix
of painting, sculpture, mixed media works, musical instruments, jewellery and clothing.
In keeping with the grass roots philosophy of the festival, the
artists and artisans displaying their work have their feet planted
in the ground and, at times, their heads happily in the clouds.
Meet Maia Heissler's fantasy elfin civilization known as the "Forest
Friends," or indulge in your own fantasy of living with the
birds, bats or butterflies in one of Lucien Gagnon's garden sculptures.
You will not find a scrap of plastic, nor a whiff of mass production,
anywhere.
Both Monika Becker and Yusan Ha's jewellery
works incorporate such diverse elements as birch bark, sea
bamboo and coconut shells. Veronica Derry's evolving textile
pieces use vintage textiles along with the trims, papers and
woven remnants that make up her unique images and objects.
Even artists' logos will be under wraps, as mechanically produced
signs have been banned to ensure a commercial-free weekend.
The "resolutely outmoded" Elizabeth Barlow works with
all natural fibres, scraps and recyclables to create cloth dolls
winsomely dressed in historical clothing.
Rri Povey creates "happy
clothes for happy people" in a cabin in the woods near Algonquin
Park, while Alex Ferri brings a mystical sensibility to his woodwork
creations.
Above
- Carver Jim Gledhill at work in his Cobourg studio.
Carver Jim Gledhill's Celtic crosses.
The more traditional media
have not been neglected. Painters, potters and printmakers will
be out in force. Kathryn McHolm finds inspiration in her abundantly
beautiful backyard habitat, while Francoise Romard's playful hand-built
pottery is inspired by both the bounty of the Earth and the mud-pies
of childhood. Jamie Ashforth's paintings and Janita Wiersma's prints
and sculptures provide travel opportunities of the spiritual variety
- exploring themes of transition, renewal, opportunity and possibility.
All artists will be present to share their techniques and ideas
in an atmosphere of hands-on involvement, not to mention the more
structured workshops in which anyone can experiment with materials
and methods.
Hugh Hunter encourages all interested visitors not only to look
at, but to pick up and play his hand-made banjos and dulcimers,
just as Jim Gledhill invites lots of handling of his agate and
mineral-studded wood creations. This year, once again, Max Sexsmith
will share his knowledge of Inuit style soapstone carving in an
on-site workshop.
Artists' village co-ordinator Barbara Buntin promotes a philosophy of
inclusiveness and wholehearted support of artistic endeavour. The artists,
once selected by the juried process, are given space, tents and opportunities
to conduct their workshops with the support of the festival's multitude
of volunteers.
A sampling of Cobourg carver Jim Gledhill's work.
Grafton-area's Elizabeth Barlow and a
group of her cloth dolls, winsomely dressed in historical clothing.
Aida Sine's discovery that "creativity finds no boundaries" in
her monoprint-making is an idea that could be applied all around
at the festival, as could the artistic underpinning of Deb Shea
of "Five Women and Some Art," whose aim is fostering
community, co-operation and growth.
This is art off the grid, with a healthy dose of idealism, spiritual
awareness and joy in the world. When you come to the Shelter Valley
Folk Festival, leave your cellphone at home.
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival is an annual outdoor music event
held Labour Day weekend (Sept. 1-3). Folk, roots and blues musicians
will perform and conduct workshops on three stages. The festival
also features a range of specialty foods, a wellness and sustainable
living area with interactive displays, and a children's area with
interactive arts workshops. The festival is a volunteer-run, non-profit
community event.
Tickets are available on-line at www.sheltervalley.com and at
selected venues throughout the area. For additional information,
call the festival office, 47 King St. W., Cobourg, at 905-377-9556.
For Immediate Release - August 1, 2006:: Back
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SVFF Music
By Cam Christie
There is a "surprise" factor in every folk music festival.
The audience arrives not knowing many of the performers, which
makes for a "spontaneous and engaging experience," says
Shelter Valley Folk Festival artistic director Aengus Finnan.
In all, 20 acts will take to the stage at the Henkel farm during
the Labour Day weekend, Sept. 1-3.
Murray McLauchlan, an iconic singer-songwriter familiar to
at least two generations of listeners, is the headliner. Other
seasoned folk musicians on the roster include: Ian Tamblyn,
the music industry "maverick" from
Chelsea, Quebec, whom Finnan credits as Canada's first "independent" recording
folk artist; Ken Whitely, a "gospel guru," music producer
and bluesman from Toronto; and Holmes Hooke, artistic director
of Hugh's Room, Toronto, an Irish-Canadian storyteller who
entertained at the Mariposa Festival in Cobourg back in the '90s.
Hooke also is this year's main stage emcee.
The majority of performers, though, are from the contemporary
scene. The "surprise" here is folk rocker Sarah Harmer.
The Kingston-based singer-songwriter and Juno award winner
climbed on board the festival this month out of the blue. Most
of the performers had been picked months before,
Making the selection wasn't easy; this year the festival received
about 600 applicants.
Finnan made many of his picks at one particular music industry
gathering, the Folk Alliance, which convened in February this
year in Austin, Texas.
It's there that he first heard the velvet voice and wispy compositions
of Lori Cullen.
"I instantly understood that the spirit of who she was would
work for our audience," he says.
"People come to the festival trusting in a amazing experience," and
in Cullen Finnan's confident she'll deliver.
Among the other new music selections: Digging Roots, a First
Nations duo with a sound evoking Ian and Sylvia, but with a
modern edge; Dala, two "smart and sassy" female urban songwriters
and multi-instrumentalists; the Undesirables, a male duo whose
performance chisels away at the notion of audience-artist separation;
and the Funky Mamas, a wild troupe of musical moms from the
Guelph area whose specialty is entertaining children.
"I set up each act individually and relative to the audience
- actual people I know," Finnan says.
Shelter Valley received a Canada Council grant this year, which
will add musicians' symposiums to the program. At these events,
the audience will hear musicians converse about their lives, the
tools of their trade and influences on their music.
Other performers likely to contribute at these gatherings:
Nathan Rogers, son of the legendary Stan Rogers; Genticorum,
a Juno-nominated trio from Quebec, steeped in the French-Canadian
folk tradition; Ndidi Onukwulu & Madagascar Slim, a young Nigerian-Canadian
female singer backed by the virtuoso male electric blues guitarist;
and April Verch, an Ottawa Valley step dancer and champion
fiddler.
The festival's largest ensemble, Septado Varieades, is being
saved for the closing act on Sunday at noon. Finnan met this
band members last year near their home in Santiago, Cuba.
Shelter Valley 2006 will ring off with the audience doing the
merengue to a salsa rhythm, but that's no surprise - that's
where this festival is headed.
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival is an annual outdoor music
event held on Labour Day weekend (Sept.1-3). The festival also
features an artists' village, a range of specialty foods, a wellness
and sustainable living area with interactive displays, and a children's
area with interactive arts workshops. The festival is a volunteer-run,
non-profit community event.
Tickets are available on-line at www.sheltervalley.com and
at selected venues throughout the area. For additional information,
call the festival office, 47 King St. W., Cobourg, at 905-377-9556.
Ladies and gentlemen
of Northumberland...dust off your guitars... Shelter Valley
is still looking for a few good local songwriters!
A run-away hit last year, drawing songwriters from near and
far, the Shelter Valley Folk Festival is once again holding
a Local Songwriters' Showcase from 7-9pm on Friday August 4th,
on an outdoor stage beside Victoria Hall, in downtown Cobourg.
While original submissions for the SVFF Songwriters Showcase
have been arriving since January anyone still interested in
applying is reminded to submit two original songs on tape or
CD to the Festival by mail to Box 29 Grafton ON, K0K 2G0, in
person at the Festival’s downtown Cobourg office at 47
King St W (beside the CIBC), or as an MP3 emailed to
.
Additional information is available year round on the application
page of www.sheltervalley.com.
All submissions must be received by 5pm Monday July 24th.
Unlike Canadian Idol the Shelter Valley Songwriter’s
Showcase is based on original compositions and judging is based
on the songwriting rather than "performance", states
Festival Director Aengus Finnan.
Based on the songwriting (not the production quality of the
recording) ten songwriters will be selected to perform their
two original songs on an outdoor stage beside Cobourg’s
Victoria Hall on August 4th. From there three songwriters will
be selected to appear on the mainstage of the Labour Day Weekend
Festival.
The judging process for the showcase involves the decision
of the Festival Director, a music industry guest, one of last
year’s showcase winners Alyson McNamara, as well as input
from the audience who are all given a survey sheet to help
select their favourite songwriter.
The audience and judges criteria for selecting the three final
songwriters focuses on the lyrics, musical composition, and
sincerity of sound rather than the stage performance or production
values.
Audience surveys are available only to those who arrive in
advance of the 7pm performance and will not be available for
walk-up audience during the event. Completed surveys will only
be accepted at the end of the event.
Notes and survey will be discussed by the judges following
the Showcase and 3 performers will selected and announced online
at www.sheltervalley.com the next morning (August 5th).
“There are incredible songwriters of all ages in our
community, and this is a chance for everyone to share their
work. You don’t have to be a seasoned veteran of the
music scene to be good... in fact some of the best songwriters
work on the factory floors and farms of this country.” concludes
Finnan.
*** Special Notice ****
JUST ANNOUNCED.....
Universal recording artist and environmental spokesperson
Sarah Harmer asks to join SVFF's 2006 roster!
The festival is
thrilled to announce that internationally acclaimed Canadian
songwriter Sarah Harmer will join Murray
McLauchlan and an
incredible roster of artists for this year's festival.
You know her songs from commercial radio but Sarah is a passionate
advocate for grassroots community, environmental conservation,
and renewable energy. See www.sarahharmer.com for
more information about this fantastic artist.
And
be sure to remind your family and friends that the Shelter
Valley Folk Festival is an outdoor family event held Labour
Day Weekend (Sept 1-3) that celebrates the Arts, Wellness,
Sustainable Living, local Harvest Foods, and the finest in
Folk, Roots, and Blues Music. Advance Weekend and Day Pass
Tickets are available at the Festival office
(47 King St W., Cobourg), online at www.sheltervalley.com,
by phone (905) 377-9556, and at select area outlets.
For Immediate Release - July 18, 2006 :: Back
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ONE WEEK LEFT TO REGISTER for Festival’s LOCAL SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE
This is the last week for local songwriters to apply for the Shelter Valley Folk Festival’s Songwriter’s
Showcase held Friday Aug 4th in Cobourg as a free outdoor public
event.
Unlike Canadian Idol the Shelter Valley Songwriter’s Showcase is based
on original compositions and judging is based on the songwriting rather than
performance”, states Festival Director Aengus Finnan.
Interested area songwriters are requested to submit two original
songs with printed lyrics on tape or CD to the Festival by mail
to Box 29 Grafton ON, K0K 2G0, in person at the Festival’s downtown
Cobourg office at 47 King St W (beside the CIBC), or as an MP3
emailed to
. Additional information is available
on the application page of
www.sheltervalley.com.
Based on the songwriting (not the production quality of the recording)
ten songwriters will be selected to perform their two original
songs on an outdoor stage beside Cobourg’s Victoria Hall on August
4th. From there three songwriters will be selected to appear
on the mainstage of the Labour Day Weekend Festival.
The judging process for the showcase involves the decision of
the Festival Director, a music industry guest, one of last year’s
showcase winners Alyson McNamara, as well as input from the audience
who are all given a survey sheet to help select their favourite
songwriter.
The audience and judges criteria for selecting the three final
songwriters is focused on the lyrics, musical composition, and
sincerity of sound rather than the performance or production
values.
Audience surveys are available only to those who arrive in advance
of the 7pm performance and will not be available for walk-up
audience during the event. Completed surveys will only be accepted
at the end of the event.
Notes and survey will be discussed by the judges following the
Showcase and 3 performers will selected and announced online
at www.sheltervalley.com the next morning.
“There are incredible songwriters of all ages in our community,
and this is a chance for everyone to share their work. You don’t
have to be a seasoned veteran of the music scene to be good... in fact
some of the best songwriters work on the factory floors and farms of this
country.” concludes
Finnan.
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival is an outdoor family event held
Labour Day Weekend (Sept 1-3) that celebrates the Arts, Wellness,
Sustainable Living, local Harvest Foods, and the finest in Folk,
Roots, and Blues Music.
Advance Weekend and Day Pass Tickets are available at the Festival
office (47 king St W., Cobourg) online at
www.sheltervalley.com,
by phone (905) 377-9556, and at select area outlets.
- 30 -
Suggested print photo: file photo of Northumberland’s own Alyson McNamara,
an area high-school student who was one of the Festival’s showcase
winners last year and who returns as a judge this year.
For more information related to the Songwriters Showcase or for
interviews please contact
Festival Director Aengus Finnan at 905-377-9556 or by email at
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release - July 17, 2006:: Back
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INVITE: Australian trio FRUIT "Meet & Greet Mini
Concert" at
Shelter Valley Folk Festival Office - July 20th 1pm
Twice listed as “Best of the Fests” by the Globe & Mail, The Shelter Valley Folk Festival invites you to attend
a Meet & Greet and mini-concert by sensational Australian trio FRUIT.
1:00pm - 1:30pm
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Shelter Valley Folk Festival Summer Office
47 King Street West, Cobourg
FRUIT is
an internationally acclaimed all-girl Australian trio described
as an explosion of jazz, a splash of funk and a spritz of grooving
harmonies.
“The most beautiful harmonies to surface in Australian music today” ~
Brisbane Courier, Australia
FRUIT's promotional
concert for the festival is SOLD OUT at the Oasis! But
they are happy to meet with press, tourism officials, dignitaries
and the public at this very special afternoon engagement.
FRUIT appear in Northumberland
through the generous support of Bird & Partridge
Lawyers, Patron Level Sponsors of the Festival.
R.S.V.P. to Rebecca Goddard-Bowman, SVFF Event Coordinator
or Katie McKeown, Summer Office Manager, SVFF Office at 905-377-9556
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE MEDIA RELEASE - July 6, 2006 ::
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The
SHELTER VALLEY FOLK FESTIVAL Invites one and all to a “Coffee-break” Office
Launch & introduction of HRSDC supported “Summer
Student Office Manager” KATIE McKEOWN (photo right).
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival continues its preparation
for an exciting 3rd year as a nationally acclaimed signature
cultural event.
In
preparation for a busy summer the Festival will be holding
the grand opening of its Summer Office on Tuesday, July 11,
2006 at 10:00 a.m. The office is located at 47 King St. W.,
Cobourg (adjacent to CIBC).
Please join us for your morning Fair Trade coffee
and locally baked goods.
The opening will provide an opportunity for media, dignitaries,
tourism specialists and guests to field questions about the
line-up of entertainment and events for the 2006 festival as
well as to meet Katie McKeown, who is employed for the summer
as the Festival’s HRSDC supported Office Manager.
Ms. McKeown has returned home to Cobourg from 3rd year studies
at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick and will be overseeing
the Festival’s downtown office operations.
Access to HRSDC funding to hire a summer student came as part
of the Festival’s significant growth this year through
incorporation as an Ontario not-for-profit Charity. This growth
and registration built on the CFDC-supported implementation
of a three-year business plan.
“We are proud once again to provide a vibrant downtown
location for the Festival, and to continue to enhance the presence
of the Arts in our community as a registered Not-for-Profit
organization. We are particularly thrilled to be providing
summer employment in the Cultural Sector for a local student
and welcome Katie to our team. This helps significantly build
on the generous and invaluable contributions of the almost
three-hundred volunteers who put this signature event together
each year,” states Aengus Finnan, Artistic Director.
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival is a grassroots family event
that celebrates juried art, wellness, sustainable living, harvest
foods and the finest of Folk, Roots, and Blues music on the
Henkel farm in the heart of Northumberland County each
Labour Day Weekend. For more information visit www.sheltervalley.com or
call 905-377-9556
- 30 –
For further information, please contact Rebecca Goddard-Bowman,
Event Coordinator
or Katie McKeown, Summer Office Manager at 905 377 9556.
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival announces its 2006
Line-up
On behalf the Board and Operating Committee of The Shelter
Valley Folk Festival I am delighted to announce the roster
for our 3rd annual "grassroots" event as Early Bird
tickets go on sale today.
Held each Labour Day Weekend (Sept 1-3, 2006) on the Henkel
Farm just east of Cobourg Ontario (an hour east of Toronto)
the Shelter Valley Folk Festival is a family oriented celebration
of community, juried arts, wellness, sustainable living, harvest
foods, and the finest in Folk, Roots, and Blues music.
Complete information, tickets, camping reservations, volunteer
opportunities, a brief movie, and links to all performers can
be found at: www.sheltervalley.com
With deep thanks to the many talented artists who applied
this year, the following is the 2006 ROSTER:
Maverick balladeer Ian Tamblyn (PQ)
Heart-melting duo Dala
Winnipeg songsmith Nathan Rogers (MB)
Ottawa Valley fiddle sensation April Verch
Gospel guru Ken Whiteley
First Nations artists Digging Roots
Jazz diva Lori Cullen
The World music of Ndidi Onukwulu & Madagascar Slim
Acclaimed troubadour Melwood Cutlery
The Cuban rhythms of Septeto Variedades (Cuba)
Roots duo Hoogstraten & Mills (MB)
The French traditional music of Genticorum (PQ)
Pop-song humourist Nathan Caswell
The unforgettable Un-Desirables
Nashville writer Alan Rhody (TN)
Local songwriter Saskia Crescentia
Family sensation the Funky Mamas
Storyteller Emcee Holmes Hooke
And
Canadian Legend Murray McLauchlan
Special thanks to the Canada Council of the Arts for their
support of this year's Festival as we introduce an Artist's
Symposium element to the program.
Thanks also to the Community Futures Development Corporation
for implementation support of a similarly funded CFDC Business
Plan.
Sponsors
interested in learning more about the Vision and Values of
the Shelter Valley Folk Festival and making a donation online
can visit our sponsor page at www.sheltervalley.com
Early Bird tickets
are available May 1-31st and volunteers are always welcome
(online registration now open).
We hope to see you at the Shelter Valley Folk Festival this
Labour Day Weekend,
and have a great musical summer Canada!.
Subject: Juried Arts Application Extended for Folk Festival
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival is extending the deadline
for applications to the Artists' Village for the third annual
festival, taking place September 1, 2 and 3, 2006. The application process
is well under way, providing the jurying committee with a wonderful
range of artists and media to choose from. In addition, the
committee has decided to offer an extension to April 21,
2006 in order to ensure that artists who wish to consider taking
part in this unique event have the opportunity to apply.
The
Artists’ Village
has been a vibrant part of the first two festivals and this year
promises to be an equally exciting blend of returning favourites
and new discoveries. Displays and demonstrations of painting,
sculpture, photography, pottery, instrument building, fibre arts,
jewellery and woodcarving provide an atmosphere that draws the
festival visitor into the Artist’s world.
Barbara
Buntin, the festival’s
Artists’ Village Coordinator, is enthusiastic when describing
the dynamics of the Village. “Walking through the village
brings the visual art world to life, our artists are passionate
about their work and eager to share, discuss and demonstrate their
creative process. Every piece has been lovingly made by the artist’s
hands and presented with a willingness to describe their
inspiration and motivation.”
In addition to the displays and ongoing works in progress,
festival visitors can also take part in workshops during
the day and be inspired to make their own works of art.
The jurying committee searches for a broad range of artists working
in a variety of media with the common thread of originality and
artistic integrity. The artist’s chosen to participate
are treated as invited guests of the festival, unlike most other
shows that charge the artists to display their work. “We’re
invested in recognizing the commitment required by the artists
to bring their work and display and demonstrate through out the
weekend, they contribute so much to the lively and welcoming nature
of this event” says Buntin.
If you are interested in becoming a part of this artistic adventure,
there is still time to submit an application. The committee
will be accepting forms and pictures of original work up until
the extended deadline of April 21, 2006. The final selections
will be announced on May 1, 2006.
Application forms, a list of
previous artist contributors and a wide range of festival
related information is available online by visiting the
Festival's website or by contacting the Artists' Village
Coordinator, Barbara Buntin @ 905-372-8535 /
.
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival is an outdoor family event
held Labour Day Weekend (Sept 1-3) that celebrates the Art,
Wellness, Sustainable Living, local Harvest Foods, and the
finest in Folk, Roots, and Blues Music. Early Bird Tickets
are available online as of May 1st. For more information
please visit www.sheltervalley.com
or call (905) 377-9556.
-30-
For interviews related to this article please contact: Barbara Buntin
Artists’ Village Coordinator, Shelter Valley Folk Festival
905-372-8535 /
A Few Good Hands - Folk Festival seeks Key Volunteers
A few days after the final songs were performed and the each
tent taken down at the Shelter Valley Folk Festival last Labour
Day weekend, organizers sat down and began planning Year 3.
The Festival's operating committee, affectionately called
the "Yellow Shirts" due to their recognizable-at-a-distance
attire worn during the event, is responsible for organizing
and overseeing all of the logistical and operational elements
of the event, including the management of over 250 volunteers,
upwards of 100 performers and participants, and over 1000 audience
members during the three day family event, which was recently
nominated for a local Tourism award.
Festival Director Aengus Finnan stated that "in truth
we never really stopped since the moment we ended last year's
fabulous festival. Our greatest challenge and achievement over
the past few months, with the help of a CFDC grant and the
support of Alnwick-Haldimand Township, was the implementation
of the first phase of our strategic plan which included our
incorporation as a Not-for-Profit organization. Now we are
back in full swing planning year 3".
Volunteer Coordinator Andrew Buntin expressed that "the
immediate task is to fill some vacancies on our operating committee.
We need a few key and committed coordinators to serve as "Yellow
Shirt" volunteers to help us move forward with the 2006
festival in the areas of: Fundraising, Public Food, and Marketing.
Buntin explained that while registration for the 250 general
volunteer positions will not commence until the first of May "these
specific roles are immediate and substantial. Yellow Shirt
volunteers can look forward to contributing anywhere from 50-100
volunteers hours beginning immediately and wrapping up in the
fall. Duties, in addition to the event itself, include attendance
at monthly operating committee meetings, coordination of sub-committees,
and reports to the executive."
Referring to the specific volunteer roles Buntin stated that "Our
lead for Fundraising of this "grassroots" event will
need to be creative, proficient and able to direct and inspire
a volunteer team. The Public Food coordinator will need to
organize the involvement of select culinary participants, oversee
local purchasing, managing the festival-run food booth, and
most importantly maintain our impeccable relationship with
the Health Unit. This position really requires someone who
can blend a bit of a business sense with a basic understanding
of food. And In Marketing we require a coordinator who has
a comfort level interacting with all area media, as well as
an understanding of marketing and promotional strategies. They
will be responsible for reviewing and implementing the Festival's
annual marketing campaign and overseeing a volunteer team."
In addition to area-specific duties the Yellow Shirts work
as a team and each are responsible for being aware of the philosophy
and functioning of all other areas of the Festival. All are
asked to contribute to general discussions decision making.
And as a Not-for-Profit community organization Yellow Shirt
volunteers keep records of all area activities, budget, and
documents generated.
"We have a fantastic volunteer base, one that is committed
to the community vision of this organization. And we have had
great people in as Yellow Shirts over the past 2 years, but
it is a large commitment when you consider the year round organization
required to run this event, and we hope that a few more folks
in Northumberland might be inclined to take up some torches
here" concluded Buntin.
For more information or to apply for any of these positions
interested volunteers can contact Volunteer Coordinator Andrew
Buntin at
905-372-8535 or andrewbuntin@sympatico.ca.
The Shelter Valley Folk Festival is an outdoor family event
held Labour Day Weekend (Sept 1-3) that celebrates the Arts,
Wellness, Sustainable Living, local Harvest Foods, and the
finest in Folk, Roots, and Blues Music. Early Bird Tickets
are available online as of May 1st. For more information please
visit www.sheltervalley.com or call (905) 377-9556.
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Photo attached
Photo title: "Volunteer Coordinator Andrew Buntin waves
from the Shelter Valley Folk Festival Truck"
PRESS interviews: please contact Volunteer
Coordinator Andrew Buntin at
905-372-8535 or
