Niagara Folk Arts Festival kicks off
Canada’s longest-running folk arts festival is more than just a celebration of Niagara’s cultural mosaic.
It’s a direct repudiation of the politics of division, said St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle.
“In a time when people are building up walls and keeping people out, our community is bringing people together,” Bittle said during the open ceremony of the 49th Niagara Folk Arts Festival.
Bittle said Canada’s cultural diversity is a matter of national pride and strength that not only makes a difference in communities like Niagara, but has always given the country a leg up in dealing with international negotiations and crises.
Representatives from more than a dozen Niagara cultural clubs gathered in council chambers at St. Catharines city hall on Saturday for the festival opening ceremonies to hear Bittle and other local politicians speak.
Mayor Walter Sendzik said the ceremony is usually a flag-raising on the front lawn of city hall, but the steady rainfall forced the event indoors. The Folk Arts flag was raised earlier Saturday morning with no fanfare.
Sendzik said he was particular pleased to learn to this year’s festival marks the first year the local Syrian community will host its own open house.
Last year there was a Syrian open house for refugees in Niagara, but it was organized with help from the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre. This year, the Syrian community is putting on its open house on its own.
Folk Arts executive director Jeff Burch said the festival is the oldest such event in Canada, and was started with a handful of cultural clubs in the basement of the local Armenian centre. This year, there are 28 communities represented in the festival.
“We had a slight dip last year, but most years we have between 25 and 31 clubs,” Burch said.
During the opening ceremony, Burch said plans for next year’s 50th anniversary are underway.
Folks Arts is applying for funding for the 2018 festival, he said, and the organization is now assembling materials for a folks arts museum.
Burch said there won’t be a citizenship ceremony during this year’s Folk Arts Festival, which runs until May 26. Instead, a special outdoor citizenship ceremony will be held on Canada Day in Port Dalhousie.
For more information about the Niagara Folk Arts Festival, go to www.folk-arts.ca/festival.