The Kootenay Festival's motto is "Let's Celebrate" and the public heard and answered the invitation in a big way on Saturday.
Audrey Polovnikoff, pictured below, is one of the organizers and in the late afternoon she was tracked down for a comment on the 2014 version of the party designed to recognize cultural diversity, plus talents of all sorts: the performing variety and many others.
The strong turnout of all age groups was a very pleasing component of the festival, particularly during the set of Bobby Bovenzi of Okanagan Falls. The man is like a pied piper of the drums – supplying drums and tambourines for up the 40, or so people, and getting rapid results.
In next to no time the personable percussionist had the group playing a prescribed arrangement, much to the delight of drummers from toddlers to seniors. As for the drawing power of the fourth festival, Polovnikoff was all smiles in providing an update, especially since the influx of arrivals was keeping steady even late into the day.
"This year?" she began, "busier to this point (about 4:00 p.m.) "The entertainment is spectacular, we have more of an audience and the vendors are very happy with the number of people passing through.
It's just a fantastic day."
Polovnikoff described the level of accommodation devoted to the 40 vendors and 12 food outlets.
"All of us volunteers in the red shirts make sure they're well looked after."
The various stage acts offered tremendous variety and a consistently high level of talent and showmanship.
As Polovnikoff stated, a particularly encouraging component was the fact that a good number of the acts (including Bovenzi) and been the ones who had approached organizers hoping to be included on the playbill.
Pictured below, Denis Klein demonstrates sand sculpture to youngsters
All of the infrastructure of the event was just right, with a slight change in site layout getting the vendors and the stage closer together. It worked out well.
It won't be long before the organizing committee meets to debrief on the festival just passed and start making plans (possibly quite big ones) for next year. Not to let anything out of the bag, but keep an eye and an ear out for news about the 2015 event and where it's held.
Pictured below, (L-R) Oliver Bean and Derek Monsen of "Roy Has Fire."
Keep scrolling down for more photos of Kootenay Festival, 2014
Pictured Below, magician Leif Davidson captivates a young audience
