Stratford Live Music & Food has wrapped up another successful year of delighting the Festival City with a weekend of live performances, delicious eats, and an outpouring of community spirit.
“It was such a fabulous weekend all around, the music, food and the people, ” said event committee member and volunteer coordinator, Carrie Clark. “We are very happy with the overall success .”
The three-day event, which took place from June 16 to 18, featured performances by 24 bands and a total of more than 100 musicians, from Juno Award Winning MonkeyJunk and Internationally touring acts Forever Seger to local talents Eric Mahar & The Hidden Gems, Small Town Strip Club, Downie Street Collective & Stevie T. Food vendors included returning favourites like Jack the Ribber along with local gems like Ken's French Fries, Black Angus Catering and Annie's Seafood.
Clark expressed gratitude on behalf of the entire event team for all the people, sponsors and organizations that make Stratford Live Music & Food possible each year.
“We want to thank the volunteers as they're a vital part of the event– we just could not do it without them – as well as our loyal sponsors and everyone who came out to enjoy the music and to partake in the vendors alley and the food vendors,” said Clark, adding that the Stratford Live Music & Food team also appreciates the support of the City of Stratford in working with them to coordinate the logistics surrounding the event each year.
“There's so much to be thankful for because, of course, people wouldn't come without the talented musicians. It’s a beautiful collaboration with everyone,” she added.
Clark highlighted the contributions of the youth performers to the show line-up. These young musicians and bands are funded by the Stew Laing Young Band Foundation, which was formed in memory of Stew Laing, a founding member of the Stratford Blues and Ribfest (as the event was previously known) and an educator and principal within the elementary and high school system.
“They did incredibly well,” said Clark of the youth performers. “It’s wonderful that they’re offered a stage to shine and know they have a value as a performer”
Clark also called attention to the event’s partnership with the local Scouts Canada organization, which supported the clean-up of the park area around the Veterans Drive bandshell, where Stratford Live Music & Food takes place.
“We take pride in leaving everything the way that it was,” said Clark of the clean-up effort.
Clark estimates that more than 125 volunteers worked to make Stratford Live Music & Food possible this year, assisting with set up and take down of facilities, as well as working at the entrance gate, merchandise, stagehands, popcorn servers and behind the bar serving, stocking, and cleaning. “We help people find a good fit for whatever their skills are,” she said.
Clark stressed that, as a not-for-profit event, all of the proceeds of Stratford Live Music & Food go towards putting on the annual festival, making volunteers critical to its success.
Planning for the June 2024 edition of Stratford Live Music & Food will kick off this fall, and Clark encourages anyone interested in volunteering or sponsoring the event next summer to visit the Stratford Live Music & Food website for more information on how to get involved.
“Everyone seemed to enjoy their time very much,” said Clark. “It's an event that locals always look forward to and it's a bonus for tourists in town to come across as well.”
Supporters
- 2Day FM/CJCS
- A Touch of Dutch Landscaping & Garden Service
- Al’s Auto Body
- Arden Park Dental
- Arden Park Hotel
- Artas Engineering & Design Inc.
- AutoMotion Repair and Tire Inc.
- Bell’s Winery
- Bentley’s Bar & Inn
- Bickell’s Flooring
- BKS Electric
- Black Angus Bakery & Catering
- Black Swan Rugby Team
- BMO Nesbitt Burns
- Canadian Tire - StratfordCity of StratfordChocolate Barr’s Candies
- Cooper Standard Automotive
- Core Fuels/Red Cap Propane
- Crabby Joe's Bar & Grill
- Crazee Kernels
- Crunch Fitness
- Dark Hollow Wood Shop
- Designs by Cate
- Dudes & Dames Hair Designing Salon
- Dunphy Burdett Lawyers
- Durisol Ltd
- Elliott Motors of Stratford Inc.
- Famme & Co.
- Features
- Fighting Irish Hockey Club
- FM 96
- Food Basics
- Fraser Paving
- Gerber Excavating
- Gilly’s Pubhouse
- Government of Canada
- Headlines Hair Studio
- Home & Company Real Estate Corp.
- Hudson’s of Stratford
- Hunter Steel
- Jiffy Lube
- John Leader Masonry
- John Leader PowerClean
- LH & W Plumbing
- Long & McQuade
- Molson Coors
- Needles Home Appliance Centre
- Nes-Tech Sales and Service Inc.
- New Orleans Pizza
- Orr Insurance & Investment
- Pazzo Pizzeria
- Queens Inn
- RBC Dominion Securities - Nymeyer-Scrimgeour
- Ritz Architect
- Ron Whaling Plumbing
- Royal LaPage Hiller Realty
- Shop Dog Vans Inc.
- Sinclair Pharmacy
- Sobeys
- Social Art
- St. John Ambulance
- Stratford Crane Rental
- Stratford Metal Products
- Stratford Public Library
- Stratford RV Centre
- Stratford Scouts
- Stratford Today
- Strickland’s Automart
- Tallman Promotion
- To Bean or Not to Bean
- Unifor Local 4451
- Wightman
- WK Financial Planning: Shawn Malvern, Darryl Parsons, and Larry Balkwill
- Woodcock Transportation Group
- Wuerth Shoes
- Your Neighbourhood Credit Union
- Zehrs