Here’s an article from our local carstairscourier.ca

Tuesday, Apr 17, 2012 03:00 am | By Jennifer Isaac

The organizers of the Mountain View Music Fest have created an ongoing concert series that will take place over the next 16 months.

“By developing a concert series, we’ll be able to develop, implement and monitor systems on a smaller scale that will help us strengthen our teams for the larger event planned August 9-11, 2013,” said Jason Valleau, one of the founders of the summer music fest.

There are still plans in place to hold a musical event this summer, but it will not be a three-day outdoor festival as in past years. “It will be a one-day cultural event, as part of our ongoing series,” Valleau said.

He explained that the reason for the adjusted plan is that “it takes a great amount of effort to properly put on a successful event.”

“It takes a dedicated, hard-working group of volunteers working countless hours to make sure that all areas are covered so that the audience will have the best cultural experience possible,” he added. “Most established festivals have a paid staff that allow them to organize events a year in advance, which helps take off some of the pressure. Our little grassroots festival is long overdue for some serious restructuring and development so that we’ll have the stamina and skills to continue to put on shows well into the future.”

Valleau also explained that by not having the usual three-day event, there will be more time to focus on developing the organization. “It will also allow us to host more concerts throughout the year,” he said. “We have to make sure that we don’t lose sight of why we do this and how we’re going to maintain our health and sustainability for years to come.”

He added that “top-notch touring acts will still be coming to town.” “We’ll try to make this as frequently as possible, with hopes of raising funds at each event to strengthen the festival in 2013,” he said. “This town is blessed with an unlimited source of great venues, each with their own character, ambience and ability to host a variety of shows.”

A subscription ticket system has been newly implemented on the Fest’s website (www.mvmf.ca), with various packages and options for people to choose from.

“With the inclusion of an ongoing concert series, we’re also expanding the opportunities for sponsors to receive recognition and advertising year round,” Valleau said. “We also have forms on the site for artists to submit their music for review, as well as a form for volunteers to help out at the fest and for the ongoing series.”

The organization – which is now called the Fellowship of the Mountain View Music Fest – adopted its new concert format on March 9, with a performance by guitarist/singer/composer Brent Tyler. A second event was held on April 13 at The Café Radio, with performer Steve Palmer offering a guitar workshop and then taking the stage for two hours.

A lineup of events includes a celebration of Alberta Culture Days in September, a Halloween cabaret in October and a concert during Crazy Carstairs Christmas.

“We’ll also be partnering with Carstairs 20/20 for the Steak Out on June 9, as well as the Ag Society for a possible inclusion of something into the Beef & Barley weekend,” said Valleau.

Feedback from the community has been supportive so far, Valleau said. “I think that from a ‘big picture’ viewpoint, everyone hopes that we’re able to continue contributing to the cultural experiences in our little town,” he said. “If it means scaling back the fest a few days just for one year, it’s worth it.”

He noted that “it’s actually been an interesting method of measuring what it may mean to the town as a whole, by witnessing the slight shock that it may not be here this year.”

“What’s also interesting is the sudden desire by neighbouring towns and communities to start hosting festivals of their own,” Valleau said. “We must be making an impact.”

In other Mountain View Music Fest news, Michael Dougherty has taken over as operations manager, replacing Karina Berrade Valleau, who is moving on to other creative ventures.