Evans- Routenburg family. Chris Evans and his wife Jody-Lynne met at Summerfolk and have been volunteering ever since.
- by Anne Finlay-Stewart, Editor
Somewhere beneath the snow of Kelso Beach Park lies some magic that has come to life the third weekend of every August for 43 years.
Couples have met at Summerfolk, children have grown up there, and families and friends reunite at the festival year after year. You may have first found your favourite artists and musicians there. Young musicians have stood on their first professional stage thanks to Summerfolk Youth Discoveries, and careers have been born.
There are always jokes about the rain at Summerfolk, and rainy days have come and been survived.
The Summerfolk Endowment Fund was created to ensure the survival of the festival long into the future.
Created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Summerfolk, the Endowment fund has grown from an original $5000 to almost $180,000 including pledges and significant matching grants from Canadian Heritage.
The Endowment fund is safely invested within the Community Foundation Grey Bruce and the annual earned income helps Summerfolk meet the increased expenses of the festival.
The weather is not the only thing that is hard to predict – granting priorities, competition from other events, insurance costs, regulations – the bigger the Endowment fund grows, the more secure the Festival is against increases in costs or losses of revenue.
Any size of contribution is welcome, so consider making a gift in someone's name for the holidays – or as a memorial or tribute. Or instead of flowers - wish a sick friend good health for next year's Summerfolk.
When you're taking your own long view, think of the Endowment fund when you're reviewing your will, life insurance or investments.
The donations are tax receiptable, stay in our community in perpetuity, and are matched to a significant degree by the Government of Canada's Canadian Heritage program.
It’s as easy as using the DONATE button at www.summerfolk.org.
271 days from this writing until Summerfolk 2019. Tickets still available!
