At Courtenay's insistence I left her at the IWK for a half day to take in a bit of the tenth annual Stan Rogers Folk Festival.
Invited by the festival's founder and current artistic director, Troy Greencorn, I had planned to help [email protected] provide extensive coverage of the event in a fashion similar to that in which we provided for the recent East Coast Music Awards. It was a fun opportunity for me. I consider Stanfest to be one of the pre-eminent cultural gatherings on the East Coast of Canada. It's well run, and it seems to attract a great line up of artists every year. And, it's held in honour of the late Stan Rogers whose music and persona I've been in love with since discovering as a kid. Unfortunately, much more important matters, our recent healthcare emergency, then forced these plans to the backburner.
However, thanks to the leadership of Nathan Gill, and help from the likes of Larry Yeo, and other festival goers [email protected] was able to have a presence there in spite of my limited role. I say limited because I did manage to make it for Saturday evening and what a wonderful time it was. Driving down the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia from Halifax to Canso, alone, was incredible. It got even better when I arrived only to meet Ariel Rogers, Stan's widow, Paul Mills, his long-time producer, and many other interesting people.
If you're interested in Stan Rogers, or the folk festival named in his honour you might want to check out recorded conversations I had with Ariel, Paul, and festival founder Troy Greencorn. [email protected] also recorded several hours of music some of which is already online. Look for some more great highlights to follow sometime soon including excerpts of a compelling Sunday night set by Ron Hynes.
Mark, I've been trying to get in touch with you or Courtenay lately but unsuccessfully. I even drove to the IWK in Halifax on July 9th (Sunday), only to find her room empty. I was so sure she was going to be there I didn't bother to double check! Anyways, it's a relief to read that she's well. My thoughts and prayers are with both of you. How can I reach Court? Lots of love! Gen
Posted by: Geneviève Morin | July 14, 2006 at 11:26 PM