July 2 (day 65) to July 5 (day 68): Stan Rogers Music Festival; Canso, NS

One major goal for our trip was the Stan Rogers Music Festival on the east coast of NS at Canso.  They do not allow dogs on festival grounds so we camped at the Canso Marina and RV Park about a 10 minute walk from the event that kept us exercising, walking back and forth after lots of sitting.  The festival was every bit of what we hoped for and more with a huge main stage, 5 separate satellite stages, and over 50 individuals/bands to choose from.  We OD’d on great folk music.  Unlike many music festivals we have been to this one is dedicated to the memory of Stan Rogers, a much revered folk musician who died in 1983 on an Air Canada flight that had an on-board fire from which he and 22 other passengers did not survive.  He wrote and performed many songs about Canada and his song, “Northwest Passage” (link to the song sang by his son, Nathan) was rated number 4 of the top 50 songs amongst Canadians.  One Prime Minister referred to Northwest Passage as one of Canada’s unofficial anthems and it was sung by Stan’s son Nathan and others at the festival.  The parking lot picking was extraordinary as well and it kept us up way beyond our normal bed time.

Canso local welcoming the world

One of the fascinating stories of the festival is that in 2014 after fully setting up for the event a hurricane came fully in their track and concerns about safety caused them to cancel at the last minute, long after major expenditures had already accrued.  There was some discussion about ending the 18 year run, but they decided to tough it out and make it work.  Sponsors came forward with donations as did 20 other festivals from Canada and the US as well as thousands of folks who had purchased advance tickets and donated those to the cause.  Thanks to attendance this year the event is back in the black and looking forward to next year.  All such festivals run on volunteers with some 800 stepping up at this venue.  When one considers the town of Canso has about 600 residents, that’s impressive and a real and vital bump in the economy of this small village.  The total story is a testimonial to the long lasting love and respect for Stan Rogers as a person and a musician emeritus of Canada. 

making a bit of money from festival goers

The main stage - several performers 'Singing Stan' songs

There were so many wonderful acts, here are links to a few YouTube songs from a few of our favorites at the festival:

• Dave Gunning
• Bruce Guthro
• Garnet Rogers (Stan Roger’s brother)
• Alan Doyle – the first night headliner, from Newfoundland and very popular in Canad 
• The Forunate Ones – a couple from Newfoundland
• Everything Fitz

chilly evening concerts

boat ride with some of our new friends from the Canso Marina RV park

Enjoying the view from the Canso Islands and Grassy Fort National Historic Site

Tomorrow finds us on the road to Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia Province where we’ll spend a few days touring and getting errands done.