IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC
Gateway Festival a must-see event
Nestled at the gateway to the Big Muddy Valley, the small town of Bengough (population 300) is as Saskatchewan as any town could be. Quaint and quiet, its citizens are committed to hard work, community pride and the support of their friends and family who run many of the local businesses that help make it home.
For the past 13 years, it’s been that pride and hard work that has helped Bengough grow 10 times its size every third week in July for one of our province’s best-kept secrets, the Gateway Music Festival.
It’s a three-day event featuring everything from national, awardwinning musicians and notable local talent to artisans, vendors and children’s activities.
For festival artistic director Michael Dawson, the longevity and continued success of the Festival can be attributed to the people who help make it a reality every year. Whether it’s site logistics, gathering and providing muchneeded supplies or simply making homemade meals for the performers, residents of Bengough (and its surrounding communities) truly band together to help make the festival run as smoothly as possible.
“We have a lot of long-standing, caring and dedicated volunteers,” said Dawson. “We’re equally as fortunate to work with high-calibre production crews from Capitol Staging and GV Audio.”
Certainly a highlight for those in the community, the Gateway Music Festival has also grown to become a must-attend event for music lovers across the province. Headliners this year will be 54-40 — award-winning Canadian rock icons with a massive catalogue of hits — and Saskatchewan-raised country superstar Jess Moskaluke on Friday with the unforgettable and hugely popular Tom Cochrane closing out the main stage on Saturday. The music for the main stage and the garden stage is geared to connect with an area of the province noted for its strong ties to cowboy folklore and culture but that also can appreciate some good old fashioned rock ’n’ roll.
Joining these headliners will be prominent Canadian folk artist Lindi Ortega, successful bands Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet and The Sadies plus Nice Horse, a high-energy Alberta group dubbed “the Spice Girls on a whiskey bender.”
These national success stories accent a vast array of local talent that includes Megan Nash with Bears in Hazenmore, The Garrys, Ava Wild and Tenille Arts.
Originally from Weyburn and now based in Nashville, Arts has been making waves across North America and is a prime example of why many artists have been asked to return after making their festival debut.
“We have the utmost faith in the incredible talent coming out of this province,” said Dawson. “There’s so much music from Saskatchewan to be celebrated. We have a platform to bring in world-class talent and it’s made even better when they’re artists from right down the road. Tenille knocked everyone’s socks off last year. It just made sense to have her back.”
As usual, the Gateway Festival continues to celebrate countless genres and styles of music intended to appeal to a wide demographic and the perfect accompaniment to a weekend of unique events and activities for all age groups.
On top of welcoming a large number of debut performers to the festival (while introducing surf rock and hip-hop to the mix), returning this year will be local favourites Parallel 49 (reuniting strictly for the event), Saskatoon singer-songwriter Kirby Criddle and popular Regina indie rockers Library Voices, to name just a few.
“We hope attendees take in and discover new artists while being able to see artists they love,” said Dawson. “Overall, our focus continues to remain on the music. It’s why people are there.”