Community backing for the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is growing.
TD Canada Trust is sponsoring the festival to the tune of $40,000 this year with a commitment of another $40,000 next year and Shuswap Construction Industry Professionals (SCIP) have anted up $100,000 to renovate a future home for much-needed office and storage space.
“We’re very excited to be involved with Roots and Blues,” says TD branch manager Charlene Roddick. “We understand it’s important to the community and TD is committed to music endeavours across Canada.”
Newly arrived last year, Roddick thoroughly enjoyed last year’s festival and is looking forward to attending again this year.
“I like that it is a festival that promotes the family, not just one segment,” she says. “It looks at young people, old people and everyone in between.”
SCIP president Tim Dunn says board members were unanimous and enthusiastic in supporting the festival.
Salmon Arm Folk Music Society chair Lody Kieken is thrilled with growing community support.
“I’d like to thank TD for continued community-minded support of the festival,” he said. “They have been a main sponsor other than the city for the last couple of years and it makes it possible for us to do some long-range planning, knowing we have secure support.”
Kieken also offers thanks and kudos to SCIP’s contribution towards the estimated $200,000 total cost to renovate a building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street SW.
“It’s wonderful and it will give us a sense of independence too, which I think is good for the festival,” he said.
Kieken’s enthusiasm is also growing over this year’s performers.
“I am totally looking forward to the Royal Southern Brotherhood, a quintessential New Orleans funk band and I am excited about the Stooges Brass Band,” he says. “I am also excited that there’s more world music here this year.”
Kieken says artistic director Peter North has responded to comments regarding a lack of world music at last year’s festival.
“This is Peter’s first year of having developed the full program and the workshops and I am excited about seeing what his vision is.”
Along with a top-notch slate of artists, North’s vision includes a raffle prize package that will have festival-lovers salivating.
“For music fans, this is a great prize and a great weekend being in San Francisco that has so long been a musical mecca,” he said of this year’s Roots and Blues raffle, with a grand prize of five days and nights in San Francisco for two during the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. It includes airfare, first-class accommodation and $1,000 U.S. cash.
“Hardly Strictly Bluegrass has been one of the top five music festivals in the U.S. for the last 15 years,” says North.
North is also grateful for community support, including the second prize Fender Stratocaster electric guitar donated by Acorn Music and the third-place prize, a Norco mountain bike and accessories. Fourth prize is a 2016 Roots and Blues VIP pass for two. Raffle tickets are on sale now and are available at the festival office or Acorn Music.
Pick The Performer, is a new contest in which participants are invited to nominate their preferred performer. The performer with the most “likes” will be invited to perform at the 2016 festival.
This contest comes with small print: “Nominations should be within reason! (i.e. We love the Rolling Stones but we cannot afford them. Keep your choices attainable).”
The person who nominates the winner will receive a prize package that includes a five-day Twin Anchors Houseboat vacation, four rounds of golf on the Salmon Arm Golf Club championship course, two 2015 Roots and Blues Festival passes and an opportunity to meet the nominated performer.
And now for a bit of a mystery. Production manager David Gonella is looking for donations of jeans. Take ones you no longer want to the Roots and Blues office. The reason will be revealed later.
For the full lineup, information on tickets, contests and more, vistas www.rootsandblues.ca.
