Music will still ring out across the mountain if Lionel and Rosemaire Conant have anything to say about it.
The pair held the first meeting of the newly created Music on the Mountain Society at the Sowchea Elementary on Tuesday, February 8.
Eight potential members came out to hear what the society needs to make the music festival happen again this year, after a less than financially successful festival last year.
“It’s about continuing to promote what most of us saw last year,” said Lionel Conant.
The goal is to create a “sustainable, community-based” event for everyone again this year, without the individual financial liability.
The couple laid out the society’s needs to attract directors and coordinators to help out with the festival and asked for input from attendees as to ideas and what level of participation people were looking for.
The couple formed a society so the group can apply for funding and grant money available to non-profit societies.
“Our focus this year is to do it again and have it sustainable,” said Lionel Conant. “To have it supported by the community.”
The group threw around ideas for a constitution and discussed trying to find a permanent place for their stage.
All the attendees were enthusiastic about the previous year’s festival and one commented that while people may have stayed away because they thought it would be a big “hippy-fest,” the festival was just a fun event and among the group she attended with was a 60-year-old woman who stayed to the “bitter end,” camping out the entire weekend she enjoyed it so much.
“I’ve been through lots of music festivals and I love all of it,” said Ginny MacPherson.
MacPherson is going to help out organizing volunteers, as she was disappointed with the volunteer turnout last year.
“We need to get people to think outside the box,” she said. “They do it all over, there’s not reason it can’t happen in Fort St. James.”
Anna Hawkins will be using her graphic design skills and web design skills to help develop a new logo and website for the event.
“I’m excited, I’m happy to do the website,” she said.
The group will be looking for even more volunteers to come out and get involved, including local artists and even though the event is six months away, for a festival, that isn’t all that much time.
One key component missing still is a bookkeeper to keep track while the Conants manage the talent coming and going.
The Music on the Mountain Society will be holding weekly meetings initially, and anyone interested in getting involved should contact the Conants at 996-7059.