Article content“We’re celebrating today,” Vogt said proudly.Article content“We made a decision in the office and I said ‘What I don’t want to see, what none of us want to see is us dragging our dog faces around as we look at the weather and wonder how many tickets we’re giving up’. That’s not what we want. If we’re going to go out, we’re going to go out with our heads held high saying ‘We gave you the best festival we could. We did what we could. We gave everything we had.’” Article content‘This is such a special place’Article content Books, scarves and instruments sit dry (for now) on display inside the NL Folk Arts Council booth at Bannerman Park on Saturday morning. Chris Ballard/The TelegramArticle contentCorner Brook native and St. John’s resident Tim Shears has been taking in the annual folk festival for upwards of 40 years and has routinely rearranged his summer plans to ensure he wouldn’t miss his the province’s marquee folk music celebration. Article contentA self-proclaimed lover of music, the longtime festival volunteer wasn’t about to let a little Saturday morning rain ruin his beloved early-morning festival performances. Article contentArticle content“It’s a Newfoundland tradition but it’s also great music, especially here in the mornings,” Shears told The Telegram, protecting himself from the raindrops with a stylish ‘Montreal Jazz Festival’ bucket hat. Article content“The secret to the Folk Festival is to come to the mornings. Right now, we’re sitting ten feet away from a band that’s doing an acoustic set and they are all fabulous musicians. All of them. We just like music in general. Our holidays are often planned around music.”Article contentShears admits it’s sad to think that this could be the final festival, but is holding out hope that the parties involved can find a way to make the festival viable for future generations and the preservation of folk culture in Newfoundland and Labrador.Article content“It’s very, very sad,” Shears said.Article content“It was almost ‘wake-ish’ here earlier the week when we were setting things up. The hints and the rumours are that maybe (there’s hope). We are leaning more towards the positive side than the negative side. This is such a special place.” Article contentArticle content‘I’ll be out here until it all shuts off’Article content Lyla, Emma, Tessel and Liese kick off the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival’s Saturday schedule with an energetic performance inside the Neil Murray Tent at Bannerman Park. Chris Ballard/The TelegramArticle contentAt just 20 years of age, St. John’s native Devon Sullivan hasn’t been to nearly as many folk festivals as Vogt or Shears, but says he rarely misses the chance to soak in some traditional tunes from some of Newfoundland’s finest folk musicians.Article content“I’ve never missed a Folk Festival in the last five years now,” Sullivan said. Article content“It’s all about the music and the people and being able to meet people and just everything like that. I grew up around folk music and all kinds of music. I’m a big music guy, I used to volunteer at a radio station. Music is my life.”Article contentWhile he cites the Masterless Men among his all-time favourite festival performances, he’s already predicting that this year’s festival will go down as his top folk fest memory.Article content“I think this year is going to be my favourite one,” he said. Article content“It kind of makes me sad that the festival might be ending, so I’ll be out here all day in this rain. I’ll be out here until it all shuts off.”Article content
‘This is our music: Rain no obstacle as parkgoers celebrate final days of NL Folk Festival
