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Sponsorship
John Arcand Fiddle Fest
Information for Sponsors
John Arcand Fiddle Fest Description
Introduction
The John Arcand Fiddle Fest was founded by John Arcand, Master of the Métis Fiddle, in 1998 in Greencourt, Alberta with $750 out of his own pocket. Approximately 300 people attended and the artists worked for free out of their respect for John and commitment to his dream.
In 1999 the festival relocated to Windy Acres near Saskatoon, and by 2006 expanded to four days, enjoyed an audience of over 3700 and had a budget of over $130,000 including expenditures to pay performers and instructors. To date we have reached an audience of just under 5000 with a budget of $187,000.
Programming
The festival delivers a combination of programming to youth, adults and senior citizens.
Workshops
Two days of workshops (free with admission), led by nationally renowned instructors (including John Arcand), transfer skills to developing musicians and dancers in fiddle, jigging, guitar, and piano. In 2009 we had 942 people register for workshops, with participation averaging at 12 people per workshop.
Concerts & Dances
Thursday and Friday during the day, running concurrent with the workshops, as well as evenings and Sunday morning are filled with entertainment with the presentation of six concerts and two old-time dances.
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Thursday – Day time and evening concert presentations
Friday – Day time concert presentation and evening showcase of multi-cultural talent in music, dance and theatre. An old-time dance ends the evening.
Saturday – Headline concert featuring John Arcand and other well-known names from the fiddle world. An old-time dance again ends the evening.
Sunday – Fiddles & Flapjacks breakfast followed by a non-denominational Gospel Hour. |
Contests
Developing fiddlers and dancers of all ages are motivated to improve skills and hone public performance abilities through the sanctioned fiddle contest and the Canadian Red River Jigging Championships. Contests take place all day Saturday and a half day Sunday. The fiddle contest and festival itself concludes with much excitement as competitors take to the stage en masse for the popular Fiddle Finale. With 73 competitors in Jigging and Fiddle taking home $10,440 in prize money in 2009, making the competition Saskatchewan’s highest attended fiddle competition.
Site and Happenings
The festival delivers a warm and welcoming family atmosphere on approximately five of Windy Acre’s 80 acre expanse.
Onsite camping, without services, is offered free to interested participants. A concession operates all weekend and serves standard festival fare as well as bannock, in reverence to John Arcand’s Métis roots. A children’s playground lies at the heart of the site and providing activities for youngsters.
The festival’s main stage is under a large tent that accommodates approximately 2000 to 3000 spectators at a time. The audience often spills beyond capacity into the surrounding open air for the festival’s many popular presentations. Workshop tents are scattered throughout the site, and when not in use are used for spontaneous jam sessions or as shaded rest areas for patrons.
News media and film production companies are a regular occurrence and cameras can be spotted at virtually any time during the festival capturing the artistic and cultural activities occurring.
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Audience Profile
Demographics:
| Youth – aged 0-19 |
7% |
| Adults – aged 20-64 |
39% |
| Adults – aged 65+ |
54% |
Attendees originate from:
| Saskatchewan |
63% |
| Canada (Other than Saskatchewan) |
29% |
| USA and Abroad |
8% |
Future Plans
Future plans for the festival include:
- Construction of a main concert venue with a permanent roof and stadium seating
- The attraction of higher profile artists for instruction and performances
- Improvements to concession and camping amenities
- Continued expansion of the number of days of programming, which will be focused on increasing workshop delivery from a variety of artistic disciplines, genres, and cultures.
- A larger audience, with international reach
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Communications Profile
The John Arcand Fiddle Fest executes a multi-media advertising plan to build awareness and attract audience to the Festival.
Direct Mail & E-Mail
One mass mailing effort takes place in February of each year to a database of 1500. The majority of recipients have Saskatchewan addresses with the balance located in other Canadian provinces and the USA. E-mail news updates are distributed to 600 recipients 4-6 times per year.
Flyers/Posters
6000 flyers/posters are distributed throughout Saskatchewan through festival networks, partners, mail database, volunteers, and by John Arcand during his busy performance schedule.
Newspaper Advertising
Star Phoenix (Includes ad placement and a full-page story feature)
RM Review
Prince Albert Herald
Sweetgrass News
Eagle Feather News
Rural Roots
Pike Lake News
Saskatoon Sunday Sun
Manitoba GrassRoots News
Saskatchewan Senior
Planet S Magazine
Wispering winds
Western Producer
The Outlook
Magazine and Other Print Advertising
Wholife Journal
Govan Fiddle Fest Program
Ness Creek Journal Program
Provincial Fiddle Association Newsletters
Prairies North Magazine
Saskatchewan Sage
Sask Senior
Prairie Dog
Planet S
Coffee Perks
Aboriginal Tourism Guide
Hot Times Summer in the City
City Life Poster
Neighborhood Express
Radio Advertising
CJWW – Saskatoon
Hot 93 - Saskatoon
CJVR – Melfort/Tisdale
Missinipi – Northern Saskatchewan
CFCR - Saskatoon
Rawlco - Saskatoon
Media Releases
Two-four media releases per year, distributed to 45 Saskatchewan media outlets and 10 media outlets throughout Western Canada.
On the Web
- johnarcandfiddlefest.com and johnarcand.com (214 168 unique visitors in 2009) and johnarcand.com
- Listings on fiddle and music websites throughout Canada and the USA
News and Network Presence
The Fiddle Fest is routinely covered in the Saskatoon and national news media and has been the subject of several television documentaries and features. Over the past two years, the following production companies have attended and filmed the festival:
Company |
Program |
Type |
Network |
Description |
| Good Medicine Media |
The Mix |
one episode |
APTN |
Festival specific episode |
Plan 9 Films |
Middle of Somewhere |
13 episode Travel Log |
SCN |
A journey through rural and uncommon routes of Saskatchewan |
Sharing Circle |
Sharing Circle, Crooked Music: John Arcand Master of the Métis Fiddle |
Documentary |
CITY
APTN |
Aboriginal documentary series |
Bluehill Productions |
For the Love of the Land |
Prominent Saskatchewan artists |
SCN |
Centennial Project |
Metcom |
On spec |
On spec |
On spec |
Métis owned film company |
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