Killaloe – Not even the threat of torrential downpours could dampen the spirits of visitors to the opening night of the 48th annual Killaloe Community Craft Fair.
Despite predictions of ‘massive amounts’ of rain last Friday presenting a few challenges, the special occasion pressed on rain or shine. After a while, the sky was clear again and the stars came out in time for their evening performances.
The Killaloe Community Craft Fair kicked off last Friday for a weekend of music, arts, workshops and good family fun. The Mountainview Road site in Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards (KHR) Township was bustling with supporters joining for a unique experience last weekend.
Started in the mid-70s, the volunteer-run outdoor festival featured the smooth stylings and soulful grooves from famous main-stage performers like Blue Hazel from Peterborough, who had listeners tearing up from their beautiful harmonies, Toronto’s Reggaddiction, perfectly capturing the spirit of the hippie culture and Zuffalo who wowed the crowd with their psychedelic sounds.
“I’m so grateful to all our amazing volunteers, sound crew and attendees. Putting on a volunteer ran event of this scale is massive in terms of community involvement. The community spirit is one of the things that makes our event such a unique experience,” organizer Tao Organ said.
The fair also received a bit more attention this time around, with overall attendance rising since last year.
The event’s wide variety of workshops were well attended, according to Mr. Organ. Hosting 15 over the weekend, they included talks and activities like yoga, meditation, astrology, salsa dancing, painting, and fiber arts.
It also featured several activities for kids, like an egg race, bubble-gum blowing contest, bracelet workshop, face/rock painting, story time and finally, when the countless youngsters don goofy costumes and get ready to put on a show for the coveted kid’s parade.
All weekend, participants had the chance to explore creative activities in the ‘maker space’ and had access to stilts and hula hoops for some fun shenanigans.
The site has also received several improvements since last year and had a bit of a facelift. They widened the roads with fresh gravel as well as installed new fences and traffic barricades to keep out unwanted vehicles, brought in a recycled ‘tire dragon’ for kids to play on, and a few more pretty flower gardens.
Mr. Organ also received some exciting news before the event. They were chosen for an Ontario Trillium Grant, which will fund the construction of a much-needed new day stage for next year’s festival.
