LETTER: Route 19A Music Festival was a big hit

The Sept. 13 article describing the first annual Route 19A Music Festival as a “resounding success” is absolutely true.

The festival organizers would like to thank Teresa Cooper and the Parksville Downtown Business Association for presenting the young artists who owned the stage that afternoon. 

All in all, 35 festival artists visited seven venues in Parksville and Qualicum Beach and performed variety of genres from blues to gypsy jazz. Highlights included local quartet String Fever, Juno winners Blue Moon Marquee, and ‘Still Crazy’, an ensemble show that captured the trajectory of Paul Simon’s music. A unique musical storytelling presentation, Once Upon a Fiddle, capped the event. Both local and Vancouver Island artists appeared during the festival’s two weekends.

The Route 19A Music Festival is another example of the outstanding cultural programming supported and presented by the Oceanside Community Arts Council. 

Will the festival run again in 2025? You bet! Artistic director Mick Sherlock and festival manager Valerie Dare are already planning an expanded event that will see shows offered in Parksville, Qualicum, and Coombs/ Errington. Look for the festival under its new name, Salish Coast Music Festival, and expect a diversity of exciting shows.

Valerie Dare

Parksville

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