Busking between gigs Saturday, with her dog at her feet, Meredith Moon was glad she made the trip from Montreal to be part of the fourth annual Roots North Music Festival.
“I love playing here. Everybody is really receptive and friendly,” Moon said of Orillia after performing earlier in the day at Mark IV Brothers Café.
It was her first time performing at Roots North, though Moon is no stranger to the Sunshine City. She used to busk here with a bluegrass band and has played for crowds at the Mariposa Folk Festival. The small city has left a big impression on the Toronto native.
“I want to thank Orillia for being so dedicated to folk music, and all kinds of music,” she said.
Roots North took place Friday and Saturday at multiple venues in the city, and the performers weren’t the only ones raving about the festival. Those who hosted the musicians were equally pleased.
Lorne VanSinclair, who owns Carousel Collectables with his wife, Mary, was happy to welcome Roots North musicians back to his store for a third year.
“We’re both big music fans and we really like to support these local festivals,” he said, “and we get to listen to good music.”
The exposure it gave the business was also a bonus.
“People come in who have never been here before,” he said. “Last Saturday, you could have shot a cannon through the store and nobody would’ve heard it.”
It was a different story this past Saturday, when a crowd gathered at Eclectic Café, inside Carousel Collectables, to listen to bluegrass duo The Ducharme Brothers.
A couple of blocks away, Verona Café owner Marley Lauro enjoyed a packed house for Dave Allen’s performance.
“I love what Roots North is doing for the community, having multiple venues and bringing people inside,” she said. “It’s been great for business. It’s bringing in a lot of new people.”
That’s an important part of Roots North, said Amy Mangan, one of the artistic directors.
“It really is built by the community,” she said, acknowledging the support of sponsors and the venues. “It’s great to get (festival goers) into these businesses to try out a restaurant or a store that they’ve never been to before.”
Organizers are “surprised every year,” Mangan added, “at how much attention and love we get from the community, and this year is no different.”
The largest venue for Roots North was St. Paul’s Centre, and both the Friday and Saturday night performances there sold out — a pleasant surprise.
“That was our goal, but St. Paul’s is a big venue,” Mangan said.
Mangan has been involved with the local music scene for years, but the success of local festivals never ceases to amaze her.
“Orillia loves live music, and it’s just been so obvious in the past couple of days.”
Irish Mythen headlined Saturday night at St. Paul’s, taking the audience on her trademark roller-coaster ride of emotion, humour and social commentary, and keeping her composure as a bat circled above in the sanctuary.
