Renfrew's Bluegrass Festival returns after three years
It has been three years since the town of Renfrew last hosted their Bluegrass Festival in 2019 and with fears of the pandemic tuned out, the festival picked up right where it left off.
"We're all pretty happy with it considering it's been three years," festival committee chair Arlene Jamieson tells CTV News.
"I had many stressful nights because we either figured that it either would go or it wouldn't," says Jamieson, "because there's still a lot of people who are nervous about being out in public because of COVID."
The Bluegrass Festival is the biggest event of the year for Renfrew, creating a big economic boost for the town.
Jamieson says with campers still rolling in Saturday, attendance could surpass levels from 2019.
"That bluegrass demographic is the people that are consider the most nervous about COVID, so for sure that was a huge concern," says the organizer. "But a lot of them are here that were here three years ago, so they were anxious."
One of the many bands performing throughout the weekend, Northern Sons, a bluegrass group with roots in the Ottawa Valley, is happy to once again see the festival back on the calendar.
"It feels like home," says band member and fiddler Chris Wilson. "We've always said this feels like our home festival. Almost everybody in the audience you recognize and know as friends."
Wilson says the Northern Sons played on stage together for the first time since 2019 at Galop Canal festival in mid-June, making Renfrew' Bluegrass Festival just their third show together in three years.
"This is the first time in two and a half years that I've felt normal," says Wilson. "People sitting in the audience, seeing people you haven't seen in three years and giving them hugs."
The Bluegrass Festival runs until midday Sunday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
developing Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
Biden OKs US$60M in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of 'very long road ahead'
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a 'very long road ahead' to recover from the loss of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved US$60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse.