Winter still stands between us and spring, but organizers for the East Coulee SpringFest are wasting no time planning for one of the Valley’s biggest musical events of the year.
Organizers recently announced Saturday, May 11, as the main day for the SpringFest. However, more events are being planned to help the festival grow.
Last year, organizers created a kick off party the Friday before SpringFest. Now, the whole weekend is being considered for the show.
“We’re looking at adding a Sunday event. It’ll be a smaller day, like song writer circles and workshops with some performances. We might keep it in East Coulee or spread it out into the Valley at bars and restaurants. An alternative is a larger outdoor concert on Sunday,” said Brent Noland, producer of the SpringFest.
Noland explained increasing the size could bring more people to the Valley, thus benefiting local businesses more.
“One of the key things I’m looking at is turning this into a three day festival and making it a tourist destination,” said Noland.
Another new feature being added is what is being called The Legends of SpringFest, a series of concerts. The aim is to have a concert each month leading up to SpringFest . The first is being planned for November 17 at the Badlands Community Facility.
It is hoped by increasing the scope of SpringFest the festival will raise more money to fix the East Coulee School Museum. Last year, SpringFest raised roughly $17,000.
In February of this year, the old coal boiler at the museum broke down. Since then, a replacement has been sought. However, now alternative sources of energy are being sought.
“SpringFest is our key annual fundraiser for the East Coulee School Museum. This year we’re stepping things up to fund our green energy conversion project,” said Noland. “We’re in the process of deciding what we’ll do. We ruled out a new coal system based on the cost and environmental impact. We’re evaluating gas, geothermal or heat pumps, solar, or a hybrid of geothermal or solar.”
Volunteers willing to help organize SpringFest 2013 are sorely needed, explained Noland. Anyone wishing to get involved or learn more is encouraged to call Noland at 403-823-3560.
The Fire Coulee Bandits and many more will be rocking SpringFest on May 11, 2013. Organizers recently announced the date for next year’s festival and are considering adding the Sunday of the same weekend to create a weekend long festival. Funds raised by SpringFest this year will go towards the East Coulee School Museum green energy project.
mailphoto by Michael James
