Wednesday Aug. 21, 2013 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST Included
Festival blows away the crowds
Roots & Blues: Attendance jumps by 1,000 visitors over last year, performers full of praise.
By Barb Brouwer OBSeRVeR STAFF
Organizers can bask in the glow of another successful Roots and Blues Festival. Attendance was up by 1,000 over last year, the artists delivered as they always do and, except for an hour-long wind incident Sunday, the weather co-operated. Folk Music Society board chair lody Kieken said organizers were pleased with the 26,000 in attendance over three days. “It was a heck of an accomplishment considering tourism is down in general, the flooding in calgary and the cost of gas,” he said, noting that while there had been concerns about weather, even mother nature co-operated. What rain there was fell in the middle of the night and the cloud cover Sunday was welcomed by everyone on-site. A wind event with gusts as high as 85 km/h late Sunday afternoon knocked over some colourful privacy boards atop a fence near the west gate and sent some lawn chairs and food flying. “We were hanging onto banners at the main stage,” said Kieken, relieved there were no major incidents. “The wind pulled a two-foot stake out of the ground. That’s how far it had been hammered in.” But the wind died down, the music ramped up and the festival continued without further weather worries. Kieken says changes were made to accommodate a space for dancers directly in front of the main stage. The stage was elevated by an extra foot so those on tarps and in chairs would have an unobstructed view. And the large screen allows people further back to clearly see what’s happening on-stage. Saluting festival artistic director Hugo Rampen’s programming, Kieken says performers often express surprise at the wide variety
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Reggae rhythms: Jamaican Ky-Mani Marley reaches out to the audience while his music really grabbed the attention of the crowds at Friday night’s main stage performance. of music and the energy of the crowds. “every year I think it can’t get better, and every year it does,” he says. For the most part, the police beat was a quiet one. Kieken says the RcMP did arrest one individual on-site Friday night but he was well-known to police. Off-site, police activity related to the festival was a bit more interesting. The Salmon Arm detachment reports that at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, a male with a guitar was intoxicated on Highway 97B.
The man from Victoria told police he wished to be placed in the drunk tank so that he could post it on his Facebook account. Police obliged and lodged the man until he was sober. Alcohol fuelled an incident Saturday as well, when a 22-year-old woman was arrested for intoxication issues on Second Avenue Se. “At the time of her arrest the female was bottomless,” says RcMP Staff Sgt. Kevin Keane’s report. “The female was lodged until sober and released with clothing.” Police snagged three more people in a counter-attack operation
This week RCMP have laid criminal charges against a Sicamous woman after a fatality. See A3. The Salmon Arm Sockeyes saw many of their swimmers earn provincial medals. See A21.
Friday night. At 11:30 p.m. Aug. 18, a vehicle attempted unsuccessfully to avoid a road check at 10th Avenue and 10th Street SW. A 46-year-old woman from Salmon Arm was relieved of her driver’s licence and her vehicle was impounded. At midnight, an intoxicated, 31-year-old driver from Oyama lost her car to the impound lot as well. Rampen says the RcMP presence is something organizers greatly appreciate. “They support what we do and we have to thank Kevin (Staff Sgt. Keane) for providing a crew in the
manner that he has.” On a musical note, a tired but relaxed Rampen, was taking a break backstage Sunday. Very pleased with this year’s event, he gave credit to dedicated festival staff and volunteers, programming and excellent audiences. “They’re professional, detailoriented, conscientious and they take their jobs seriously,” he said, lavishing praise on festival staff. “There’s an excellent vibe and I think our ticket sales have been See musicians on page A2
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............. A17 Sports................A19-A22 Arts & Events ... A23-A26 Time Out................... A27 Vol. 106, No. 34, 52 pages