Folklore Festival 2004 was an outstanding success. Well over
11,000 Festival visitors, entertainers, artists, food booth
exhibitors, display booth exhibitors, sponsors, and volunteers
enjoyed and helped bring to life the 31st Annual Folklore Festival
at the Fort William Gardens. The return of local artists, and the
increase in the number of exhibits and crafts made this Festivals
Trip Around the World even more memorable.
The featured entertainers, Os Panteras, from Toronto, rocked the
full house Saturday evening. Saturday and Sunday afternoons, local
entertainers and performance groups shared their talents on the
largest stage in Thunder Bay with top-of-the-line Sound and
Lighting.
From the 140 strong Chaban Dance Company to the new Slovak
dancers and Borneo Dayak dancer, to the 40-piece Finnish Orchestra,
Pelmanni, and the drumming and traditional dancing of Aboriginal
performers, to the poetry reading of Taina Maki Chahal, Folklore
allowed talented artists to shine and our audiences to enjoy the
artistic excellence of the many cultures of our community and
Canada.
Organization
One coordinator, Michelle Landers-MacKenzie, was hired for
sixteen weeks to oversee the planning and development. Committee
members supervised publicity, food booths, liquor sales,
entertainment, exhibitors, artists, sponsorship, childrens area,
and the opening and closing ceremonies. The TBMA office staff
provided vital clerical and organizational support.
Publicity, Advertising and Promotion
The Folklore committee took advantage of free publicity
available through radio, TV, and newspapers. The Committee also
paid for advertising on a popular classic hits radio station not
owned by Dougall Media to ensure we reached a wider audience. Our
Artistic Director appeared on Thunder Bay Televisions Around Town,
while Public Service Announcements were widely distributed in all
media. Festival volunteers distributed posters throughout the city
and district. The Festival Press Conference was held at Intercity
Shopping Centre, and a feature story appeared in the
Chronicle-Journal. Paid advertisements appeared in local
newspapers and on radio. Many interested festival goers accessed
Festival details and information on performers through our web site
at www.folklorefestival.ca
Sponsors
This year we faced a major challenge when our major sponsor for
the last four years, Shoppers Drug Mart advised us that they were
unable to continue their sponsorship. Without the Shoppers Drug
Mart financial contribution, we were faced with unexpected
additional expenses. We found some additional support, but had to
rent equipment and buy supplies for the Childrens Area.
Sponsors included (but were not limited to) the Ontario Arts
Council, 580 CKPR, Dougall Media, Italian Cultural Centre, TBayTel,
Vianet, Wilsons Business Solutions, local Credit Unions, Marlin
Travel and WestJet. Our draw prize, a Free Trip for 2, was donated
by WestJet.
Food Area and Exhibits
The many food booths, featuring cuisine from countries as far
away as Vietnam and Croatia, are always a highlight of Folklore. A
separate booth sold specially selected imported beers and wines.
The exhibit booths in the Main Gardens area featured hand-crafted
treasurers from such far-away places as the Ukraine and India, and,
closer to home, Aboriginal artwork of area artisans. Thunder Bay
visual artists displayed their art and discussed their craft with
Festival goers.
Conclusion
The Folklore Festival is the one event during the year when
people from diverse ethnic backgrounds can come together to share
and appreciate each others heritage. It continues to attract one of
the largest audiences for any cultural gathering in Thunder Bay.
Once again, thank you to all groups involved and to the many
volunteers for your support at such a great event.
Folklore Festival 2004 was co-chaired by Jim Squier (TBMA Board
of Directors) and Bingo Lanquibo (TBMA President).
Back to
Annual Report 2004/2005
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