Dear Editor,
I am writing today to express my deep thanks to all those involved in programming and delivering the Vancouver Island Musicfest to the valley.
We moved to the Comox Valley 16 years ago and Musicfest has been one of the best parts of living here for me and my family. From our first summers in town when the kids were still under 12 and attended for free (making the weekend an incredible family bargain) to the last few years when my now-grown children and other family guests would travel here specifically to join in the event with me, Musicfest was a highlight of every summer.
So many great headliner performances! - k.d.lang, Walk Off the Earth, Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash, Fred Penner (kid hero!), Jim Byrnes, AJ Croce, Barenaked Ladies, the Sheepdogs, Shakura S鈥橝ida. And the fun, and the treats: coffee on a cool evening or frozen mangoes/bananas on a warm night, dancing in the barn, lemonade, mini donuts (kid favourite!), and swimming in the river.
I am especially grateful to Doug Cox and his team for introducing me to many many musicians and expanding my horizons: Helen Austin (local hero!) Matt Anderson, Leonard Sumner, Enter the Haggis, the Fretless, Locarno, Ten Strings and A Goat Skin, David Gogo, Adonis Puentes, Nice Horse, Ostwelve, Payadora Tango Ensemble, Irish Mythen, Asani, Wab Kinew (before politics!), Richard Thompson, Treasa Levasseur, Nikki D. You have been the new music programmers in the playlist of my life.
For me the happiness of Musicfest is forever captured in a memory of my 70 year-old hubby and Flo fist-pumping as we all danced together in the barn to the sounds of Blitz the Ambassador.
The end of Musicfest leaves a hole in my heart. For everyone involved 鈥� the executives of the Comox Valley Folk Society, Doug Cox and the Musicfest staff, and especially the hundreds of smiling volunteers 鈥� thank you for all the joy you have brought my family and our community.
Christine Carson
Comox Valley
