Michael Kaeshammer, Spirit of the West, Roy Forbes and Barney Bentall are only a few of the many musicians who will help the Filberg Festival celebrate its 30th anniversary.
"This is our 30th anniversary — amazing — so many festivals do not make it this far, so I think it is an important benchmark," says music director Bobbie Blue in a news release.
"We have wonderful Canadian music and there will be over 120 juried crafts booths," Blue adds. "The quality is always exceptional."
"Our guest artist this year is Mary Fox, a self-taught potter from Ladysmith, who creates beautiful Raku stoneware (www.maryfoxpottery.ca).
" And perhaps the most exciting thing of all is that this is the first time that the Filberg Lodge will be open to the public throughout the festival. Hand-built by master craftsmen in 1929, this distinctive arts and crafts residence features extensive use of local woods and stone, along with antique furnishings."
Blue notes there have been some improvements to the historic Comox Lodge, once the waterfront home of lumber baron Robert Filberg.
"This past year, we have finally managed to raise enough money to put a new shake roof on the lodge — and now we are working on new fencing and repointing the stone walls," Blue continues.
She's already lined up many musicians:
Friday, Aug. 3 — Spirit of the West opens, followed by the blues panel concert featuring David Gogo, Dave Harris, David Vest and Gary Preston and Anita Bonkowski. Filberg Festival favourite Roy Forbes hits the Filberg mainstage before the opening day's music concludes with the boogie woogie piano of the David Vest Trio.
Saturday, Aug. 4 — The High Bar Gang (Barney Bentall, Shari Ulrich, Wendy Bird and Angela Harris), Nelly Furtado's guitarist Sean kelly on classical guitar, Babe Gurr, CCMA and Juno Award winner Gary Fjellgaard and jazz diva/guitarist/vocalist Flora Scott.
Sunday, Aug. 5 — John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Gurr, Scott, country roots group Pear and Comox Valley Celtic songstress Mary Murphy.
Monday, Aug. 6 — Kaeshammer, Phil Dwyer and his Songbook Project and the traditional closing to the Filberg Festival, the Great Canadian Songs Concert.
The 2012 Filberg Festival dates are Aug. 3 to 6. This family-friendly festival celebrates excellence in all forms of arts and crafts and music over the four-day B.C. Day long weekend at the Filberg Heritage Lodge and Park in Comox.
The principal objective of the festival is to raise the money needed to restore and maintain the nine-acre Filberg Park and Lodge.
For more information, go to www.filbergfestival.com.
— Filberg Festival