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Music festival was great, but where were all the fans?

My wife Barb and I attended our fifth consecutive Central Music Festival over the weekend, this year’s manifesting when the stars and weather gods wonderfully aligned in conjunction with — as Diamond Joe White so wisely proclaimed animatedly on Sunday afternoon — “the best natural amphitheatre for an outdoor music festival in all of Canada!” (Or, did he say, “The world”?)

My wife Barb and I attended our fifth consecutive Central Music Festival over the weekend, this year’s manifesting when the stars and weather gods wonderfully aligned in conjunction with — as Diamond Joe White so wisely proclaimed animatedly on Sunday afternoon — “the best natural amphitheatre for an outdoor music festival in all of Canada!” (Or, did he say, “The world”?)

With the colorful and classy vendors’ village, tasty food booths, kids’ tent, beer garden, wide selection of world class entertainers “playing in the field of music” (this year’s theme) with big names like Morgan Davis, Amy Bishop, Sista Monica, plus the many extremely talented local musicians including Heartbroke Heroes, Steve Arsenault, The Jacobson Four, Lesley Schatz, Joel Kamps et al), combined with the perfect weather and the best natural bowl in the world, you would think attendance records would have been broken.

Not so — an extremely frustrating and disappointing outcome for all the generous sponsors, very hard-working organizers and volunteers, and the dedicated followers of the CMF, perhaps suggesting that next year’s production either be postponed for a year or two, or relocated (despite the incredible site) to outside the 100-km radius zone, thereby making it more attractive or legitimate?

So many people seem only too willing and able to attend festivals in Calgary, Edmonton, Canmore and Camrose, yet find it inconvenient to support dedicated local efforts (and talents) within a beautiful seven-km drive north of the city off the old C&E Trail.

To all those responsible for this years’ and previous CMFs, I wish to extend a heartfelt thank you and congratulations for facilitating again such a great weekend of first-class music and associated entertainment for the whole family — we’ll see you again next year — maybe.

Pete Weddel

Red Deer