Despite grey skies and downpours of rain, folk music lovers filled Victoria Park over the weekend for the Home County Music and Art Festival.
The 45th edition of the three-day music festival wrapped up Sunday with performances by the Irish Mythen and Valdy on the main stage. Canadian singer-songwriter Jim Cuddy drew a huge crowd on Friday night, even as wet weather moved into the region.
"People will go home if it starts to rain but we have a lot of diehard patrons that really stuck it out. They had their umbrellas and their rain ponchos," said Darinn Addison, Home County’s artistic director.
Some festival-goers were even spotted using their lawn chairs as shields from the rain.
A steady stream of people perused the treasures being offered by the artisan vendors throughout the park. From paintings, to skin care products, to jams, and unique handcrafted jewellery the sky was the limit on the variety of items up for grabs.
Addison noted this year's festival was bittersweet for him as it marked the end of his five-year stint as artistic director.
"It's been a great ride for the last five years for me. I'm really proud of all that we accomplished as a team," said Addison. "I've gotten nothing but positive feedback from patrons, colleagues, and vendors. It's just time for me to move on."
Tim Fraser will now take the reins as artistic director of the long-running festival. He joined the team in June and played an active role in coordinating production at this year's festival, as well as stage managing on Saturday.
"I am very curious to see what his artistic vision is," said Addison of Fraser.
