The following is a guest post from Rachel Lutz of One Red Phone Box. Visit Rachel’s blog at oneredphonebox.com for more of her favourite things.
At the Community Centre in Tracadie on Prince Edward Island, the smell of baking potatoes mixed with the scent of lupins as an accordion came to life on stage. The hall was filled with tourists and locals, all gathered on a warm June night to listen to The Boxcar Boys and Vishtèn – innovative, Canadian groups excited to showcase their musical and traditional roots. The hall was decked in wildflowers and cloth buntings on the windows when The Boxcar Boys took the stage. The Canadian folk-jazz-Klezmer group enchanted the audience with fast-fingered clarinet playing, a skillful tuba player, percussion, accordion, and a wailing trombone.
I had no idea what to expect when I booked tickets to the Barn Dance in Tracadie, Prince Edward Island as part of the PEI Mutual Festival of Small Halls. The theory of the festival is simple: bring local, Canadian musicians into the spotlight to perform at small halls, community centres, and town venues across PEI, and provide a mutually beneficial arrangement for small-time musicians and small town community halls. Genius? Yes, it turns out, freaking brilliant. For the past eight years, two weeks in June are earmarked as the Festival of Small Halls, drawing crowds from across the Island, and tourists from Canada and beyond. The model of the successful festival has been picked up in both Ontario and Australia. Because nothing on the island is very far away, it is quite possible to see multiple performances in different venues throughout the two-week period. Had the vacation lasted longer, I could have seen shows on every corner of Prince Edward Island.
On this warm night in Tracadie, the 150 seats at the hall were filled for performances from The Boxcar Boys and Vishtèn, a trio from PEI and Îles de la Madeleine, just a five-hour ferry ride off the island. Vishtèn in particular entranced the crowd with step dancing, percussive foot stomping, and artists proficient on multiple instruments. Îles de la Madeleine, though off the coast of Nova Scotia and PEI, is part of Quebec, and the members of Vishtèn sang mainly in French, including some Acadian songs they found in the archives of various music libraries. The audience joined in with clapping, foot-stomping, snaps, and singing on choruses. At the intermission, the hospitality of the Tracadie Community Centre was demonstrated – wine and cheese were served, alongside coffee, tea, and twice-baked Island potatoes topped with cheese. The smell was amazing, and the unexpected treats made the night extra memorable. There was nothing standoffish about being in the Community Centre, with the community. While many hands went up to indicate tourists were in the house, the main supporters of the Boxcar Boys and Vishtèn were Islanders, supporting their own. The hall ran a 50/50 draw to support the building’s upkeep, while Festival volunteers sold raffle tickets on a guitar and a box drum signed by the musicians. For a night, even tourists from the big city could imagine they were Islanders, and that life was really this relaxed and friendly all the time.
The PEI Mutual Festival of Small Halls brings the entire province together for two weeks to celebrate tradition, heritage, and art, supporting local business and providing a destination adventure for tourists. From Halifax, the drive to Charlottetown via the Confederation Bridge is approximately three and a half hours, and another twenty minutes to Tracadie from the Island’s capital.
