Benji Duke, MC, entertaining everyone with games and prizes from Benji’s Bonus Bucket. Photo Louis Bockner
The 18th annual FernFest was a neighbourhood celebration filled with friends, a pony, music, dancing, local artists and a beer or two. The whole neighbourhood came down to Fernwood Square for fantastic performances on Friday night and all day Saturday. What a joy it was to see so many smiling faces, young and old, soaking up the sunshine together.
This free festival, and all the great times, was organized by Fernwood NRG but couldn’t have happened without many helping hands. Many special thank-you’s to all the volunteers who helped make FernFest happen. There are some very special folks out there of whom our appreciation for is endless! Our set-up/clean-up crew, caffeine and supplies from the Cornerstone folks, and plenty of helpers along the way; thank-you!
Thank you to our sponsors: Aaronson’s Pharmacy, Aubergine Specialty Foods, CFAX 1070, Coast Environmental, CTV, Discovery Coffee, Fernwood Coffee Company, Fortis BC, Garside Signs, Kool FM, Larsen Music, LoneTree Cider, Ocean Grown Medicinal Society, Paladin Security, Par-T-Perfect, Phillips Brewery, reFUSE, SOMA Active Health, Victoria Car Share Co-op. Thanks to everyone who donated to our silent auction.
Thanks to the Belfry Theatre for sharing your space, your power and your awesome ideas. Thank you to the Fernwood Inn for serving over 450 plates of pancakes at our annual community breakfast. Thanks to Mike and Olena Russell for organizing and leading the Kidical Mass Bike Parade. Thanks to Roxanne Derkson and all her volunteer masseuses who raised $382 for Fernwood NRG’s programs. Thanks to Mike Demers and our great sound crew who made sure the weekend was rockin’. Thanks to all the amazingly talented performers for sharing your skills with the neighbourhood. A huge thank-you to Phillips Brewery for helping to make FernFest possible!
All staff of Fernwood NRG had a hand in putting this event together so if you see them around, give them a high five. You can give any of your neighbours a high-five actually, because it takes a community to create an inclusive environment where everyone is welcome.
There were some unforgettable moments shared together. A new addition, The Field of Dreams, allowed FernFest to mix entertainment with education and create a family friendly space. There were bubbles; people could enjoy performances, learn about composting, join in laughter yoga, let the kids enjoy all the activities and games or just chill.
Other great moments shared were the sweet tunes radiating from Fox Glove, a Fernwood ladies trio. Also, the dance party vibrating from the sounds of The New Groovement made the square a little more uneven. Thanks to all the bands that came from near and far to perform, there is something special about dancing with friends in the sunshine.
Benji Duke pleased the masses as our MC for the weekend. What a fantastic show with the mid performance games, Benji’s Bonus Bucket, and drumming for our headliner, BoneHoof. Thanks for guiding everyone through and awesome weekend, Benji!
The surprises were plentiful at this year’s FernFest. Friday night a couple of firespinners graced the square spinning to MicroBongo Sound System. The energy surrounding them could not be recreated. On Saturday, a ukulele flash mob came out from the masses to serenade the crowd with The Rolling Stones hit You Can’t Always Get What You Want. Another mob, The Choir from the Larsen School of Music, shared three songs with us in front of the gazebo. We love surprises!
FernFest is a unique use of public space for the means of gathering people together in the name of neighbourhood. Being that this was FernFest’s 18th year running, it was a lovely sentiment to hear, “Happy FernFest!” That it was, thank-you.
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