The Agassiz Slow Food Cycle Tour 2011 was the biggest and best ever.  With warm temperatures and sunny skies it was the perfect day for a bike ride.  What makes this ride particularly enjoyable is that not only is the countryside beautiful, surrounded by incredible mountains but it is flat.   There is nothing finer than biking down “flat” country roads on a sunny day.

The Pie stop at Blackberry Lane

This years event saw in excess of 800 participants not including the cows, chickens, sheep, goats and horses.  While all the stops are great there was real enthusiasm at Blackberry Lane Pies.

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What a fantastic display of true Festival spirit!  Both the crowds and performers endured the drizzle without too much complaint and neither let the less than ideal weather dampen their enjoyment of the weekends activities.  The beach stage performances were exceptional – from the hot fiddle of New Country Rehab to the haunting harmonies of the Aboriginal Collaboration – the diversity of talent was a real treat.  Even the art market huddled under walled tents along the waterfront offered an array of unique hand crafted gems.  The Memorial Hall pumped out three great concerts with Fridays Ti-Coca & Wanga Neges Twoubadou (troubadour) music and Saturday and Sundays sold out performances by Hawaii’s HAPA and the legendary James Cotton Superharp.   A fantastic closing weekend to yet another first rate Festival.  Congrats to all the staff and volunteers on a job well done.

The best little art market in the Fraser Valley

The evenings beach stage concert was a riveting performance by Ann Vriend.  Her vulnerable yet exquisite voice echoed across the shores of Harrison Lake and into the very soul of the entranced crowd.  Etran Finatawa‘s Memorial Hall performance brought the traditional sounds of Niger to a small but appreciative audience and clearly demonstrated the African origins of today’s Blues genre.

Even with the rain, the Festival‘s Children’s Day activities were enjoyed by both the young and young at heart.  Crafts included mosaic magnets, fluff ball pets, bread dough medallions and bead work accessories to name a few.  There was of course the ever popular climbing wall and the Go Ahead and Get Creative Zone for younger aspiring artists as well as interactive displays hosted by BC Hydro and the Stream Keepers Group.  Performances included Major Conrad Flapps, Jacky’s Village, Kunaka and Dianna David.  Major Flapps was super good fun for everyone with his catchy sing along songs and plenty of audience interaction.

The evening concerts kept the days youthful spirit alive with Kunaka performing on the beach stage and Ireland’s Beoga in the Memorial Hall.  Kunaka was an impressive display of young artists – the audience simply could not resist the urge to get up and move to the infectious rhythms rippling from their marimbas.  Beoga’s playful energy was a delight to experience and their musicianship was superb as well as their accompanying Irish dance troupe.

Another mellow day for the Festival – well until the evening.  The lively and interactive beach stage performance by the Jacky Essombe‘s Village had the crowd on their feet whether they wanted to be or not!  And the theatre presentation of The Art of Self-Defense and The Dagger’s Before Me in the Memorial Hall was a fine display of up and coming UFV talent.