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Wednesday, September 13, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Pop-up concerts soothed impact of festival cancellation
By Cody Rheault
Correspondent
The cancellation of the
annual Sisters Folk Festival
dealt yet another economic
blow to the community. But
with the effort displayed by
locals and the generosity of
visiting musicians, there was
hope.
Members of the Sisters
Folk Festival board
announced in a statement last
Wednesday that the smoke
was hazardous leading up to
the weekend. Air quality con-
ditions — both outside and
inside — were predicted to
remain at an unhealthy level
throughout the weekend as
well, forcing them to reach the
difficult decision. The safety
of attendees and artists were a
priority.
The news hit the com-
munity hard. After weeks of
smoke affecting our local
economy, many were looking
forward to a busy and enter-
taining weekend. An event
many locals describe as their
favorite.
Musicians from all over
the country and Canada were
invited as first-timers or
encore performers to the folk
festival. And at the announce-
ment of the cancellation,
many were already in town.
Chuck Cannon, a song
writer from Nashville and a
first-timer at the Sisters Folk
Festival, expressed his reac-
tion to the news.
“When I heard about the
cancellation, it was a real spir-
itual bummer,” he said.
Chuck is an experienced
performing artist with songs
written and performed by leg-
ends such as Dolly Parton and
Toby Keith. His invitation to
perform at the festival was
something he was looking
forward to.
“I’ve always wanted to
come to the Sisters Folk
Festival,” he said, after
describing his love for the
West and how the Sisters area
is his new favorite part of the
country.
The musical community
refused to give up hope, how-
ever, at the news of the can-
cellation. With many perform-
ing artists still in town and
venues laying vacant, they
saw an opportunity where oth-
ers saw failure. That’s when a
group of artists came together
and pitched the idea of an
impromptu performance. All
they needed was a location to
do it.
By Friday afternoon, The
Belfry started receiving calls
asking about performance
space. Originally scheduled to
have all-day events through-
out the weekend, The Belfry
now laid vacant.
With limited time, vol-
unteers and members of the
community turned The Belfry
into a performance-ready
space. Some moved chairs,
others hung lights, and The
Belfry staff changed their
weekend plans to accommo-
date the last-minute show.
“The musician commu-
nity was instrumental to mak-
ing the show happen,” said
Angeline Rhett, owner of The
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Belfry. “I was just a small
piece who helped make it hap-
pen. It was a group effort.”
Friday night included per-
formances by Martha Scanlan,
Scott Cook, Chuck Cannon,
and Amy Helm. Presenting
artists on Saturday night
included Kristin Andreassen,
Robbie Fulks, Chuck Cannon,
and The East Pointers.
Each show reached max
capacity and forced some to
listen from outside The Belfry.
Throughout the nights,
the crowd was gleeful at the
entertainment. Laughter and
joy echoed off the walls.
The floor bounced with the
tapping of their feet. Others
danced to the beat. And for a
couple hours, everyone forgot
the Sisters Folk Festival was
ever cancelled.
“I’m thankful to have
offered two shows and
recover from what could have
been zero,” said Rhett. “To
see all the musicians up there,
it made me feel better.”
The Sisters community
and visiting artists pulled what
was left of the Sisters Folk
Festival from the ashes and
presented to those attending a
show worthy of any folk fes-
tival. The community worked
together and refused to give
up, showing that even through
PHOTO BY CODY RHEAULT
Chuck Cannon performed at The Belfry in a pop-up concert that salvaged a
bit of the traditional folk festival experience.
the smoke and economy, there
was hope after all.
“A lot of people focus
on the financial impact,”
Angeline said. “But it was
emotional, too. This weekend
we dealt with the emotional.”
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