StanFest

Crowds gathering for the 'Singing Stan' hour

My parents, Cale and I made the 3 1/2 hour trip to Canso, NS for our first ever Stan Rogers Folk Festival this weekend. The festival brings international songwriters together for a 3 day East Coast experience that makes the small fishing community of Canso come alive. Since Alan was playing with David and Kyle, and because going to the festival was on my father's 'bucket list', we decided there could be no better way to spend a sunny Sunday. We saw some fantastic artists - Jerry Jeff Walker, Old Man Leudecke, Kathleen Edwards, Valdy, Alex Cuba, Ron Hynes, Royal Wood - trading songs for crowds who so attentive you could hear every note and lyric.

Caleb was a trooper - squirming in my arms to the music, winning over audience members (I even saw some strangers taking his picture after he flashed them a charming smile) and looking exceptionally adorable when David introduced him to the crowd of 300+ at one of their shows. One of my favorite moments was the 'Singing Stan' hour where everyone came together around the main stage for a Stan Rogers sing-along. It was incredibly moving to hear thousands of voices singing Northwest Passage, including Stan's daughter who was up on stage. What a wonderful first music festival for Cale.

I'm with the band!

(and eating dad's festival pass)