The seventh annual Gateway Festival is in the books and being dubbed a success, despite having to cancel two of its top headliners because of tornado fears.
The music festival was held July 22 to 24 in Bengough. It was forced to close down during the first evening of the festival because of high gusting winds that organizers feared could bring down the large outdoor main stage.
Artistic Director for the festival Carol Cairns said that the stage crew was receiving tornado warnings for the area on their portable weather station. They feared a repeat of an incident in Ontario last week in which a large outdoor stage crashed to the ground in heavy winds.
"The Ottawa Blues Festival was just too fresh in everyone's mind," said Cairns.
She said the wind gusts on July 22 in Bengough were just as high as the ones that brought down the Ottawa stage.
After band Delhi 2 Dublin played their set in the rain, organizers put a hold on the concerts. When word of another storm system coming their way made it to ears of festival organizers, they decided to officially cancel the evening's performances at 9:30 p.m.
The cancellation meant that headliners Big Sugar and Wide Mouth Mason were unable to perform. Obligated to their tour schedule, they moved on to the next show.
Despite the cancellation, several local performers are calling the festival a success - for them. Local band Air Ticket made its second appearance at the annual festival. Switch rocked the Big Muddy Valley for the first time. Local performers Kjel Sidloski and Alfredo Aguiar also hit the stage with their unique island-style grooves. Siblings Jade and Brayden Roberts wrapped up the weekend with a performance on Sunday.
The teenaged members of Air Ticket said their festival experience was "awesome" and "exciting." The band consists of 18-year-old Adam Hoffart (lead vocals, guitar), 18-year-old Shaun Guest (bass guitar), 16-year-old Austin Kot (lead guitar), and 16-year-old Tyler Rainey (drums), who joined the band one week before the festival.
The band performed songs from their recently released first album, Nothing Left to Fear. It features 10 original tracks written by Hoffart, Kot, and former drummer Carson Skjerdal. The songs speak of typical teenage topics, such as young love and heartbreak, against a backdrop of up-beat rock music. The album is available at Music Craft, Prairie Pita, Co-op Crossroads and also through iTunes.
This was Air Ticket's second gig at the annual festival. The band worked as stage crew at the 2010 show, gaining the respect of the other performers, according to Cairns.
Switch is a bar band that covers music that crowds love to sing along to, which is exactly what they did during the band's late night festival performance on July 23.
The band consists of Craig Davies (lead vocals, guitar), Ernie Parisien (lead guitar), Todd Milleker (bass guitar) and Jason Hill (drums). The Gateway Festival was a first for Switch, except for Davies, who performed with Cassaway a few years ago.
Country singers George Fox and Jason Blaine were the headlining acts for Saturday's evening performance.
The attendance on Saturday more than made up for Friday night's interruption. Cairns said this year's Saturday attendance was even bigger than last year, which saw over 1,200 guests come through the gate.
So why is a festival in Bengough, Saskatchewan so popular? "People like to come to a big festival with that small town feel," explained Cairns.
She said the reason the show has been able to attract big acts over the years is because the festival has gained a reputation for putting on a professional show.
Past performers at the show included The Road Hammers, Constantines, Doc Walker, Jeff Healy, Fred Penner, Emerson Drive, Brad Johner, and Corb Lund.
The 2011 show had 33 groups performing, with over half being Saskatchewan talent.
Sunday's daytime concert was free to the public and featured mostly local entertainment.
The event also featured a Family Stage with face painting and entertainment, a Kids' Fun Zone, and the Gateway to the World pavilion with artisans, food vendors, workshops and a car show.
An outdoor Theatre on the Hoof production of "Spirits of the Trail" by Ken Mitchell took place off-site during Sunday afternoon. The touring play featured equestrian exhibitions, aboriginal performers, a working Red River cart, frontier-style barbecue, and a campfire sing-along.
The Gateway Festival is put on by the Bengough Municipal Arts Council and is sponsored through municipal, provincial and federal government grants, as well as private sponsorship from many local businesses and organizations.
Festival organizers and volunteers worked hard to put on a fun and safe family event, even providing free water and Vitamin Water at the information tent. Cairns said that it takes over 260 volunteers to put on the festival, and the support of nine area communities.
