Mother Nature smiled down on the organizers of the Jasper Folk Music Festival this weekend, doling out three straight days of beautiful, hot sunshine.
And even as the sun went down and the air gained a fall-like chill, the heat emanating off the enthusiastic dancers at the stage kept sweaters tucked away for the remainder of the evening, Friday and Saturday night.
鈥淭he weather couldn鈥檛 possibly have been any better,鈥� said festival coordinator Cristin Murphy. 鈥淲e feel really happy with how everything came together. There was such a good vibe.鈥�
It was reassuring, she said, to see that even after a six-year hiatus, Jasperites want a festival and are happy to support one right here in town.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got lots of good feedback so far. We even had a local lady come to the gate and she couldn鈥檛 attend, but she was so excited it was happening that she paid $75 for a ticket for someone who otherwise wouldn鈥檛 have been able to attend.
鈥淚t was amazing. I love that sense of community that something like this brings.鈥�
The success of the weekend, with about 500 people dancing to headliners Five Alarm Funk on Friday night and to Oscar Lopez the following night, is enough to get the festival organizers thinking to the future, said Murphy.
鈥淚t all went well enough that we鈥檙e pumped to do it again next year. We already have a list of how to improve things, because you can always get better. But for the first time, those small glitches we had, they were all ones we could handle.鈥�
The committee will be collecting feedback from festival-goers in the coming weeks, to ensure that next year is even bigger and better.
Murphy said to watch the festival鈥檚 Facebook page for an opportunity to fill out a survey, and in the meantime, she suggests you head over there and share your stories and pictures for a chance to win tickets to next year鈥檚 festival.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
