SweetWater Festival to produce documentary in celebration of 20th anniversary

Members of Quatuor Despax and cellist Denise Djokic perform at the Luthier Performance at the 15th annual SweetWater Music Festival at the Harmony Centre on Saturday, September 22, 2018 in Owen Sound, Ontario. Clockwise, from front left are Cendrine Despax, Jean Despax, Valerie Despax, Djokic, and Maxime Despax. Rob Gowan/The Owen Sound Sun Times/Postmedia Network

The SweetWater Music Festival is asking Owen Sound for $3,500 to support the production of a 20th anniversary documentary film and the operation of this year’s festival in September.

The SweetWater Music Festival showcases musical acts and artists from across Canada and the world with a spring concert, a four-day festival in September and year-round virtual performances.

Recently the festival has offered free outdoor community concerts throughout the weekend festival. Last year, the festival launched a pay what you can ticket-pricing model for its opening show at Georgian Shores United Church.

This year, organizers are hoping to expand the festival’s lineup of free or pay what you can programming with the help of corporate sponsorship, McCaffrey said.

The festival is also asking the city to expand its support in terms of marketing and promotion. McCaffrey said greater support from the city would help foster the city’s arts and cultural reputation, develop the River District as a vibrant downtown centre for local activity and tourism and attract business development as well as population growth.

Festival volunteers are asking for marketing support through downtown banners, print material, online platforms, and social media.

“Hopefully we can create as much buzz for SweetWater as there is for Hockey Day in Canada,” McCaffrey said.

The documentary film planned by the SweetWater board is meant to highlight the origins of the festival and celebrate the “unique local arts organization” while profiling the local community members and the first artistic director who initiated the festival. McCaffrey said the film is likely to cost at least $20,000 to produce.

The festival board also intends for the documentary film to promote the beauty of Grey County, convey the festival’s vision of continuing to bring exceptional and exciting live music to the area, engage local sound and recording professionals and be used as a marketing tool to promote the festival in the future, McCaffrey said.

Granting the festival a one-time $3,500 payment did not strike a chord with city councillors who noted the city does not have a grant or funding program which enables it to distribute one-time funding to community groups and directed McCaffrey to the Community Foundation, chamber of commerce and the River District committee.

Deputy Mayor Scott Greig said the city is trying to reduce the property tax burden and could not support a $3,500 grant, but council members generally suggested that helping with in-kind support with in-house resources did sound like music to the ears of the city.

Councillors also committed to discussing adding a line item for funding cultural events during upcoming budget deliberations, although city staff noted the city’s events budget is forecasted to be frugal for the coming year.

Acclaimed violinist Mark Fewer served as the SweetWater Festival’s artistic director from 2003 to 2019. Since 2020, the festival has been led by Edwin Huizinga, a renowned violinist and composer.

McCaffrey said the festival has received modest funding in the past from the Municipality of Meaford, approximately $7,400 over a four-year period, but not from the City of Owen Sound despite most performances being held in the city.

“Other music festivals in Ontario, such as Festival of the Sound in Parry Sound, Collingwood Music Festival, and Stratford Summer Music Festival, receive funding from their local municipalities,” McCaffrey said.

McCaffrey said this year’s festival will mark its 20th anniversary and there are plans to celebrate the story of the “little festival that could” from a modest summer concert series to a “vibrant arts organization”.