SINGING A DIFFERENT TUNE

Yes, music is the main event at the Calgary Folk Music Festival, but there are other things on Prince’s Island Park to occupy yourself with in between sets. Eric Volmers points out some of the festival’s non-musical goodies that will be on offer from Thur

BOOKMOBILE

The library will be bringing in its mobile book truck down to the site. Various people will be reading stories, usually with a musical bent, for kids and kids at heart.

“People can go check a book out and then there will also be featured story time with some surprise readers,” said executive director Debbi Salmonsen.

GREEN INITIATIVES

While it may be a cherished tradition for some, the folk fest will be abandoning its plate program in food vendor alley that had patrons shelling out a toonie for the “cow plates” and getting it back when they returned them to festival volunteers. Now the plates will be completely compostable, Salmonsen said.

“We made a decision that it was more environmental to go all compostables with our food vendors, rather than trucking off and on the island to wash,” Salmonsen said. “But for those who have a fondness for our cow plates, we’ll have a select number, about 200, for sale in our merch tent.”

The folk fest has long had green-leaning policies. More than 85 per cent of the waste at the event is diverted from landfills. No bottled water has been sold on site since 2011 and food vendors are all required to use compostable products. Stage 6 runs on solar power.

SAY THANKS TO A VOLUNTEER

Nearly 1,800 volunteers will be on site over the next four days — doing everything from providing electricity to the site, to assisting on stage, to cooking food for artists and fellow volunteers, to helping patrons sort out the composting on site.

“I would say we have one of the highest retention rates in our volunteer program and we are really proud of that,” said Salmonsen. “But also every year we have new people who spring up, or people who retire. There’s always a bit of change and we always have (youth) who are just waiting to be old enough to volunteer for the festival.” (You have to be 13 or older, kids)

NEW FOOD VENDORS

The Calgary Folk Festival has always offered a tantalizing variety of food — and now you can wash it all down in the beer tent that has doubled in size. New offerings this year will run the gamut, from the presumably healthy fare of Govinda’s Veggie Bomb and the gluten-free and vegan options at Delissitude, to the Elvis “Fried Peanut Butter and Banana” sandwiches from Peanut Butter Cupboard to the waffles and southern fried chicken from Waffles and Chix.

PHOTO OPS

Eight giant letters, custom created out of wood by Dudes guitarist Bob Quaschnick, will be on site for photo ops. Appropriately enough, the sculptures spell out FOLK and BEER, which for many are the two most important pillars at folk fest.

“We’re hoping people take selfies or group shots in front of them,” Salmonsen says.