Be sure to take in the Filberg Festival in Comox - July 31- August 3.

by Keith and Heather Nicol    

 On Friday, July 31 we decided to see the first day of the Filberg Festival which we had been told by many local Comox Valley residents is a must see event. The festival grounds were perfect for a hot summer day since there are lots of large shade trees and it is also located along the ocean. The festival, now in its 33^rd year, is an amazing melding of crafts and music and is one of the largest juried craft fairs in Western Canada with over 100 exhibitors. The featured craft person was Gordon Hutchens, a potter extraordinaire from Denman Island. Be sure to see his work! 

Be sure to see the impressive pottery of Gordon Hutchens

    We were also very interested in seeing some of the musicians which included a varied mix of performers from across North America. We were especially looking forward to hearing  “The Fortunate Ones” who we had last seen in Newfoundland. This duo of Catherine Allen and Andrew O’Brien have great voices and we recommend seeing them on Saturday, August 1 at the festival if you missed them today.  We also really enjoyed the Celtic music of the “Nolan Schryer Dobres Trio” and the “Dungarees” from Edmonton had people up dancing with their brand of country-rock.  The day finished on the Rotary Stage with “Matuto” from New York who play what they call Brazilian Bluegrass. Overall a fine mix of music and some of these performers will  be back on Saturday and new artists will play on Sunday and Monday so check out the schedule and be sure to take in at least one day. Featured musicians include John Mann, Ken Lavigne, Valdy, and Matthew Barber and Jill Barber. 

We loved the music of The Fortunate Ones from Newfoundland

 The day pass must be one of the best deals around at just $15 or you can also get a full 4 day pass. This festival is a major fundraiser for Filberg Park and Lodge so that is added incentive to attend.  See http://filbergfestival.com/   for more information. 

Pierre Schryer plays a toe tapping  fiddle in the Celtic group- Nolan Schryer Dobres Trio