
The Renfrew Roots Audio Festival took spot for the to start with time this weekend in Renfrew.

The two-day state audio exhibit was held at the Ma-te-Way Centre grounds Friday and Saturday.

“We definitely wished to carry something distinct to Renfrew,” situations and promoting coordinator Jenna McEwan mentioned.

“We have done audio festivals in the earlier. This one particular is seriously centred on supporting community and bringing in some major names that we have not experienced in Renfrew in advance of.”

The Renfrew Roots Music Festival has replaced the yearly Bluegrass New music Competition that was typically held in Renfrew each and every year.

“I consider we required to engage a extra numerous inhabitants and not just be targeted on one particular style of audio,” Renfrew Mayor Tom Sidney stated.

“It will provide far more of the youthful group in,” 19-calendar year-outdated festival-goer Morgen Weeks claimed. “I mean, I am in this article.”

“I assume it truly is fantastic,” mentioned Renfrew resident Sherry Green. “I do like bluegrass but I’m a lot more of a place fan. So I adore this.”

The Bluegrass Pageant normally drew a couple thousand people today above the class of its a number of times of demonstrates and also showcased on website tenting for out of towners.

The town estimates roughly 600 tickets ended up bought for Friday night, with extra expected to promote for Saturday.

Tenting for this year’s occasion was not an option, but organizers are not ruling it out for upcoming functions.

“For our initial 12 months I consider that is a excellent turnout,” Sidney reported.

The Roots Festival line-up was composed of virtually all Ottawa Valley-dependent artists, including headliners Jason Blaine and the River Town Saints, The Abrams, Lemon Dollars, and other individuals.

Pembroke-based band Sawmill Road states changing the competition structure to provide in a more youthful demographic will aid regional artists.

“It is really essential to convey them out simply because everyone’s acquiring in their vehicles and driving down to the city to see the even larger bands,” reported direct singer Josh Coleman.

“Even though we might not have those people even bigger names in this place, we nevertheless have the electrical power, we however have the entertaining, and we even now have the expertise.”

The Doughtery Sisters had been one of the functions to open up Saturday’s festivities.

Sisters Caitlin and Sarah Doughtery were born and elevated in Renfrew. They feel getting well-acknowledged artists participate in significant shows in the valley will help mature their occupation.

“To be sharing a stage with all those names, in the potential we can reference it,” stated Caitlin.

“It really is great for us to check out the exhibits like Elise Saunders, artists of that caliber that we can study some thing from.”