Sunday was the best day — weather-wise, music-wise and otherwise — of a spectacular three-day weekend, at the 31st annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Everything fell nicely into place, and a good time was had by all.
Although the 2008 Folk Fest was a Festival quite obviously in a year of transition, with interim artistic director Linda Tanaka holding the fort while the Folk Fest Board of Directors figures out where to take the Festival in future years, and what the nature of the presumed ‘corporate funding’ will be, thanks to uncommonly great weather and what appeared to be the largest turn out by families in some years, Festival staff would have to consider this to be one of the more successful Festivals of recent years.
True to form, VanRamblings continued to be a pest to political types, on Sunday focusing our attention on lawyer and community activist Ruth Herman, and her beloved, Vancouver-Kensington MLA David Chudnovsky; COPE internal chairperson Donalda Greenwell-Baker; former Vancouver City Child and Youth Advocate, Penny Parry, and her beloved, former COPE Councilor and current COPE Board member, Tim Louis; and to top (bottom?) the day out, NPA mayoral candidate, Peter Ladner, who was querulous (in a quiet way) that we took the time to shake his hand, and wish him well (cuz he knows we’re hardly a supporter of his … he was probably wondering why we bothered to approach him at all — but, heck, it was Folk Festival weekend, and a time for peace, love and understanding).

VanRamblings was most impressed with Mr. Chudnovsky and Ms. Herman.
Although we agreed not to report out on the specifics of our conversation, both felt strongly that the 8-2 Vision Vancouver / COPE deal is hardly a fait accompli, and that there is every prospect that the deal might be 7-3, or even 6-4. Of all the political types in COPE (of which both are longstanding members), and Vision Vancouver, only Chudnovsky and Herman expressed hope for a ‘workable deal’ between the two civic parties that serves the interests of progressive forces in the City of Vancouver, and by extension, the people of Vancouver, and the entirety of the Metro Vancouver region.

Continue reading 2008 Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Wrap Up →

VanRamblings will post our full, and thorough, wrap-up of the 2008 Vancouver Folk Music Festival — with more YouTube videos we’ve uploaded, including Maeve McKinnon in an early morning concert at Stage 7, and Ferron in concert over at Stage 3 in the early afternoon — as well as more municipal politics, and raves about the day and the weekend, at some point later in the week (paying work beckons, a call we must heed).
We’ve also got some bubbles, but you’ll have to wait until late Tuesday, or sometime on Wednesday, for our full-fledged version of the Folk Fest wrap (starring BC Provincial MLA David Chudnovsky and a cast of thousands, including more than a few politicos, and their and our consequent musings).
We will post. Promise. You’ll just have to be patient.
Oh yeah, despite VanRamblings’ dire pronouncement about Friday night under-attendance, Saturday and Sunday crowds were substantially larger.
Although overall attendance looked to be healthy — the crowds were certainly enthusiastic — it’s unlikely that any records were set. A little more marketing next year, a stronger musical line-up, and a return to form — for instance, CBC on site recording concerts for posterity — and a bit of that ol’ time corporate sponsorship, and the Folk Fest will be on its way to sustainability. And would we want any less for our beloved Folk Festival?