by Kelly Babcock, Hub Staff

Sunday, March 29th, 2015 saw the finale of the Georgian Bay Folk Society's Youth Discoveries program for this year. Four of the 11 finalists were chosen to represent the up and coming musicians at the perenial weekend long Kelso Beach celebration of music, Summerfolk. Among those chosen, local favourites, "Chicks With Picks" featured prominently. They will play at Summerfolk in Friday night's 'Discoveries' Concert and participate in workshop sessions during the weekend.
Samantha Greavette, half of Chicks With Picks says of the competition, "A great opportunity to share our talents. It was a fun experience to meet and jam with other performers. [...]"
Greavette, and the other half of the aspiring duo, Morgan Lyall, have been part of Owen Sound's local music scene for several years and have been working hard for opportunities like this. They have also volunteered at Summerfolk.
Other winners at Sunday's finals were Braden Phelan, Darrin Baldwin, and Paige Warner, who faced very stiff competition from semi-finalists, Max Gauthier, Sydney Riley, Kyle Fraser, Grace Watson, Limberlost, Meline Hanke, and Sarah Menary.

Regarding the actual competition, Tara MacKenzie, one of the three judges, said, "It was a tough job. There was something special about every performer. We want to be mentoring young musicians, and it's our hope the participants stay connected." She shared adjudicating duties with Richard Knechtel, a former Artistic Director for Summerfolk, as well as a previous Youth Discoveries winner, Adam Crossman.
Youth Discoveries has been a project of the Georgian Bay Folk Society for more than 5 years and has seen some talented young performers take their shot at a place on the festival stage.
Notable among the alumni of the Youth Discoveries project are Cody Zevenbergen, Amy Carson Hunter, Bekah and Missy, Ben Turcotte, Andrew Nunno, and Jayden Grahlman. Many more young people have benefited from the experience, as has the communities that host the preliminary trials, the audiences that get to enjoy the programs and, of course, the festival itself, which is constantly working to foster new talent.
The Georgian Bay Folk Society's Summerfolk festival is set to play host to the folk world for the 40th time this year, an anniversary they are proud of. And if this year's Youth Discoveries program is any indicator of the festival to come, it will once again be the event of the summer.