By Mark Squibb
Folks from the Southern Shore and beyond will be flocking to Ferryland next week for both the newly minted Ferryland Days festival and the 39th annual Shamrock Festival.
“Last year, after the Shamrock Festival, a group of us got together, and we said the Shamrock Festival draws a lot of people home, so why don’t we form a committee and put a group together and see what we can put off in the days leading up to the Shamrock Festival?” said Ferryland Days committee member Nathan Ryan. “So, we’re going to try this out, and it seems like everything is going to go well, and so our eyes are set on next year already.”
Ryan said the days leading up to the launch have been busy if nothing else, and that upwards of 40 volunteers — outside the committee of five— have come forward to help make the festival a go.
“The whole committee has gone above and beyond to ensure that this is a success,” said Ryan. “And there’s been a very, very positive response within the community. Lots of people have been reaching out, asking ‘How can I help?’ ‘How can I participate?’ And that’s very positive. Because if you don’t have the backing of the community, you have nothing.”
Ryan said the committee made efforts to utilize different facilities and areas within town, so that the events didn’t feel centered around just one part of town.
To that effect, the opening ceremonies will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion, a community breakfast and free community concert will both be held at Baltimore School, a co-ed softball tournament will be held at the softball field, and a senior’s social will be held at Bernard Kavanagh’s restaurant, amongst other activities.
Ryan said one of the committee’s goals was to keep the festival as affordable as possible for the patrons and visitors.
“All events are either free or affordable,” said Ryan. “We’ve had some great corporate sponsors and some great community sponsors, so that allowed us to make these events affordable for everyone.”
As part of that strategy, ticket prices for the Saturday night Shamrock Festival Dance, featuring performances by Celtic Connection, Ceiligh, and Reddy or Knot, were tiered, beginning at only $20 until July 1, $25 until July 24, and $35 at the gate.
That dance will once again be held outside.
“People resoundingly told us that they wanted an outdoor dance,” said Ryan. “So, we sat down with the Folk Arts Council, we ironed it out, and we made it work.”
The committee has also named the Friday co-ed softball tournament in memory of Dicker Barnable.
“Dicker was devoted to community sports — especially softball,” said Ryan. “Whenever a softball was thrown on that field, Dicker was there with his camera taking pictures. He unfortunately passed away a few years ago.”
Opening ceremonies kick things off on Wednesday evening, July 24, and the party runs until Shamrock Festival Sunday.
