Unusual Festival

Subject: Unusual Festival
From: black walnut
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 09:19 AM

On Saturday JeffM and I performed at an unusual neighbourhood festival in Kitchener (ON, Canada). 5 backyards are joined together as one - there are no fences, only flowerbeds separating them. They put up a tent and sound system and we performed from someone's back porch. There was a CD tent, children's activities, potluck BBQ, and music on the stage from 2 pm til sundown....and then continuing in smaller groups at various homes into the night. Performers came from the neighbourhood, Guelph, Toronto, and Margaret Christl came in from Owen Sound! Everything, and I mean everything, was volunteer. Amazing!

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 09:27 AM

That's the way to do it! None of this commercial nonsense. More power to your elbow.

Steve

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 12:29 PM

Sounds bloody brilliant-if only Mrs Viking would agree!

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: black walnut
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 05:15 PM

I loved everything about Chequegnat Festival, but best of all was when the host asked every one to please fluff up the garden plants before they left.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 09 Jun 03 - 05:49 PM

Sounds like a larger version of Dave Bryant's Folk Barbeque!

Wonder if his neighbours would mind.....

LTS

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: black walnut
Date: 10 Jun 03 - 07:46 AM

This was a Festival/BBQ - every detail was thought of. One house was designated the performer's house, for instruments and warm-ups. There was a covered stage and a covered sound tent. There was a T shirt raffle. There's even a WONDERFUL compilation album put together in advance by the 2 main organizers of the event - with the permission, of course, of the performers. It's lovely!
Oh, and I should mention that all financial donations were handed over on a silver platter to the very co-operative weather gods.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: Trevor
Date: 10 Jun 03 - 08:04 AM

Sounds like Squilverfest - which for those interested will probably be August 16th & 17th. It's how it should be isn't it?

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: Willie-O
Date: 10 Jun 03 - 08:36 AM

The Chequegnat festival? Iss that a street name or something?

Sounds very cool. The most unlikely part being to get five abutting neighbours to open their backyards...and Kitchener as I recall it isn't exactly an oasis of progressive cooperation.

Everything was volunteer? Everyone played for free I can believe, but all the infrastructure, sound equipment, food etc was donated just for peace love and BBQ? I mean, it's amazing what you can get people to donate, but you have to expect money to change hands here and there.

The compilation album raised money for expenses? Or was there a cause in there somewhere?

Just wondering
W-O

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: black walnut
Date: 10 Jun 03 - 12:47 PM

Whew, lots of questions. Maybe I overstated....maybe it was MOSTLY volunteer. Maybe I'll see if I can get one of the organizers to drop in with some of the answers.

I do know that Chequenat = Chestnut + Pequenat Streets. (where the back yards meet).

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From:
Date: 10 Jun 03 - 01:20 PM

Hi,

One of the Chequegnat Festival organizers here.....glad to answer questions, especially since I am lobbying for a National Chequegnat Movement of neighbourhood concerts and festivals (to be followed by a national holiday, I hope :-) )

ALMOST EVERYTHING was volunteer...or I should say with no promise of anything back, with the exception of renting a bit of sound equipment.

For example, the compilation CD sold for $15 (and we gave a copy to each performer as a thank you). Of the $15, $2 was kept to pay for the media, jewel box and insert printing, and the rest is being distributed to the people who contributed tracks. So they will get a small payback (on the order of $20 per track). Bbut the performers who didn't participate were truly volunteering.

The donations that were collected first went to cover expenses (the BBQ food, flyers, programs, kids games). The sound guys donated their time and equipment, a local school lent us more, but we had to rent a bit (so a rental company made $60 from us). That left us with a bit of money, so we gave some of that (mostly in liquid form) as thank yous to major helpers, and will hold on to the rest as a hedge for next year. (Last year we lost $100 on the day).

EVERYBODY - DO IT!!!!! It's a great thing to do for your community!!

Thanks for asking!
Jack Cole

p.s. In case you are wondering who performs at something like this, for free....well, we start with some of our Song Circle people and the rest of the day is filled with REAL musicians :-) - names that Ontario folks might recognize like Margaret Christl, Debbie Carroll, Alison Lupton (last year), Nonie Crete (last 2 years), Paul MacLeod (of The Skydiggers), Tannis Slimmon, Jack Cooper, Matt Osborne, Mary Anne Epp, former members of Killiecrankie/Rathlin/Murphys. And they all tell us that they have a wonderful time!

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: black walnut
Date: 10 Jun 03 - 01:27 PM

(Song Circle people ARE real musicians).

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: JeffM
Date: 11 Jun 03 - 10:48 AM

Was I dreaming that I was there?

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jun 10 - 08:55 AM

Today, if the rain holds off, will be the 10th anniversary of Chequengnat!

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: black walnut
Date: 05 Jun 10 - 09:24 AM

Oops...GUEST = black walnut (me)

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: black walnut
Date: 05 Jun 10 - 11:18 AM

It's on ... Happy 10th Anniversary, Chequegnat!

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: Celtaddict
Date: 05 Jun 10 - 11:03 PM

Next step beyond house concerts; I like it!

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: GUEST,Jack
Date: 06 Jun 10 - 02:08 PM

It was a fun day and we got it all in without any rain. Newbies included a first timer performer, and the AD of the Mill Race Festival of Traditional Music. We had bluegrass and country and lots of singer/songwriter and trad and a bit of rock and roll, for about 7 hours. There will eventually be pictures on www.chequegnat,org. jc

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: gnu
Date: 06 Jun 10 - 02:59 PM

Sensational! Good on yas!

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: black walnut
Date: 06 Jun 10 - 09:06 PM

Proud of you, Jack and gang!    Glad the weather cooperated.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: SINSULL
Date: 06 Jun 10 - 09:19 PM

Sounds like heaven.
Sorry I missed it.
SINS

Subject: RE: Unusual Festival
From: JennieG
Date: 07 Jun 10 - 07:39 AM

Wonderful idea!

Cheers
JennieG