Alberta's North & South Country Fairs
At times, Alberta’s vast and wilderness landscape can engulf an individual, leaving them with a feeling of isolation from the rest of the world. But the freedom that exists in Alberta’s vastness can be contributed to two of the province’s longest running music festivals.
Operating without the constraints of municipal by-laws and restrictions, North Country Fair (located in the Lesser Slave Lake region) and South Country Fair (located 30 minutes outside of Fort Macleod in southern Alberta) celebrated their 32nd and 24th anniversaries during the summer months of 2010.
“Our volunteer coordinator put it best when she said that these festivals are a great model for community development because diversity is accepted and celebrated,” said Trent Moranz, Development and Publicity Director for South Country Fair.
While a sense of community has developed loyal festival attendants and volunteers to both festivals, the diversity of musical acts and emphasis on local talent has also contributed to each festival’s identity. “I think it’s our responsibility to support provincial musicians as much as we can, especially with such amazing talent across Alberta. There have been some great performances over the years,” said Carol Weatherall, Artistic Director for North Country Fair.
During the summer solstice weekend in mid-June, the sun barley rests in northern Alberta. Instead, the area is blanketed in a grey dusk as the sun bounces off the horizon. Celebrating the summer solstice was the inspiration for creating North Country Fair over 30 years ago. Eventually, South Country Fair would follow, which occurs in mid-July. “Celebrating the summer solstice is important to a lot of people, so we’ve kept that tradition,” said Weatherall.
From their humble beginnings, both festivals have grown into important pillars for each community. South Country Fair has established a program that allows performers to go into surrounding communities and perform for people who can’t physically attend the festival. “One of our goals was to sync within the community, and we’ve accomplished that goal by becoming an extension of the community,” said Moranz. “Also, there are businesses in the surrounding area that say this festival provides their busiest summer weekend.”
In 2005, North Country Fair purchased their own land. The site now hosts three other summertime festivals, which fulfills their mission of providing the region with different cultural events. “That’s part of making what we’ve purchased a community resource,” said Weatherall.
“Since purchasing our land, the local farmers have been pitching in with donations of gravel, or bringing in their tractors and loaders to help with building and development. The local municipality even cuts the grass for us, which is a sign of acceptance.” 
The AFA is committed to supporting independent festivals throughout Alberta by providing subsides for artists’ fees. “North Country Fair is the prominent cultural event for the people of the Lesser Slave Lake region and AFA funding has been very important to our continued success,” said Weatherall.
“Without AFA funding, it would be a lot harder to pull this event off. The costs would have to be placed on ticket sales,” agreed Moranz.
Trent Moranz, a volunteer for 15 years, and Carol Weatherall, a volunteer for 20 years, have witnessed first-hand the many highs and lows that come with organizing an annual festival. While each festival’s organizers have had to overcome their own challenges in order to last multiple decades, their efforts have not gone unnoticed, as younger generations continue to support both festivals.
“There’s been an injection of new energy the last couple of years from volunteers who are very motivated and driven to contribute,” said Moranz.
“The essence of the Fair hasn’t changed all that much, but the next generation of people are stepping in and taking over some of the coordinator positions. As long as that continues, North Country Fair can continue,” explained Weatherall.
“As a group, we recently had to pause, adjust our goals and re-evaluate why we were doing this,” explained Moranz. “We’ve become an institution in the southern Alberta region, and we want to continue building on that. None of us can bare the thought of South Country Fair ever disappearing.”
For more information on attending, performing or volunteering at these two festivals, visit North Country Fair’s website at http://lslncca.ca/current/index.php, and South Country Fair’s website at www.scfair.ab.ca.
Photos courtesy of the North Country Fair Committee and the South Country Fair Committee.
