Spearheaded by local songwriter and arts advocate Aengus Finnan, the Shelter Valley Folk Festival began around a kitchen table in the fall of 2003. There, a dedicated group of friends and strangers (consisting of a lawyer, a social worker, an art therapist, a recent art college grad, a songwriter, an engineer, a newspaper reporter, a retired teacher, and a high-school student, and a Fair Trade cof
fee-shop entrepreneur) gathered regularly to envision what a cultural community event centred on fantastic folk music might look like and entail. In time a location was found in the fallow fields of the generous Henkel family, who to this day request that in lieu of rent the Festival use proceeds towards a charity of their choice each year. (For 2008 the donation was made to The ArtsCan Circle, an independent, volunteer-run group working to link creative artists with Native youth at risk in Canada, encouraging self-esteem in isolated communities through a cooperative exploration of the arts with Native youth). Their farm, located in the rolling hills of east Northumberland County (90 minutes east of Toronto) has a spectacular view of Lake Ontario. The first Festival was held Labour Day weekend in 2004 with just over 200 volunteers and 700 attendees, most of whom had never been to a folk festival. The Festival organization has grown over the years, incorporating as a registered Ontario Not-for-Profit in 2006, and graduating to full Federal Charitable Status in 2007 and has since expanded its year-round programming to provide Community Outreach through an "Artists in the Schools" program and Community Concert series. With each Festival the reputation and audience has grown but the organization has been mindful of the "quality over quantity" approach, keeping in mind how best to manage all changes and expansion. To date the planned limit for ticket sales remains 1500 attendees on site, a modest number that ensures the volunteers are able to provide an exceptional experience for all in attendance. Listed as a “Best of the Fests” by the Globe & Mail, and described by the Toronto Star as "gentle, humanistic, environmentally attuned, and abundantly caring" the Festival has become a signature event drawing artists, audience, volunteers and sponsors from across the country. In addition to acoustic concerts and workshops on a series of daytime stages and an evening Main Stage, the festival includes a juried Artists' Village (which showcases local potters, painters, photographers and one-of-a-kind crafts), culinary vendors (with healthy home-cooked international and regional cuisine), wellness practitioners and sustainable living experts (providing interactive displays and engaging seminars) and a family and children's area complete with performers, interactive arts workshops, and a parade. For the camping type there is also open field camping for tents and tent-trailers with a Family area designated "quiet after 11pm", while the music area has communal fire pits for festival goers who bring along their guitars to join in the "starlight song circles". So pick up your tickets, pack your bags, and be prepared for a festival experience that will uplift you with its sights, sounds, and flavours.
