Permanent site for Southern Shore Folk Arts Festival

The Southern Shore Folk Arts Council will establish a permanent home for its annual Folk Arts Festival at the Village Green in Ferryland, located near the Colony of Avalon Interpretation Centre and archaeology site. Financial support from the federal and provincial governments will facilitate completion of landscaping at the Village Green.

A total of $88,000 for the project was announced today by George Baker, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and Beaton Tulk, Minister of Development and Rural Renewal.

The Village Green will serve as a common venue for the staging of festivals and events, outdoor interpretation programs and a variety of visitor and community recreational activities.

"By investing in the tourism infrastructure of the Southern Shore, the Government of Canada is supporting efforts to diversify the economy of the Southern Shore," said Minister Baker. "The Colony of Avalon Historic Site and the Southern Shore Folk Arts Festival are two key tourism offerings that are attracting visitors to the area."

"The Colony of Avalon reflects some of the earliest origins of European settlement in North America, while the Village Green site will help showcase the unique culture which has evolved in Newfoundland and Labrador over the centuries," said Minister Tulk.

The Southern Shore Folk Festival commenced in 1986. The festival originated as a one day event and was organized by the Southern Shore Development Association. In 1994, the association collaborated with the Ferryland Maryland Day organizers to expand the event into a two-day festival.

The Southern Shore Folk Arts Council was formed by a group of volunteers in 1995 with the objective of assuming sponsorship of the festival. The objectives of the council were to promote the local arts community and preserve the unique cultural heritage of the area. In 1997, the festival achieved attendance of 6,000 while in 1998 attendance reached 7,800 despite inclement weather.

The Village Green project has been identified as a priority of the Irish Loop Regional Economic Development Board.

The project is funded through the Canada-Newfoundland Agreement for the Economic Development Component of the Canadian Fisheries Adjustment and Restructuring Initiative (EDC).

The three-year $81.25 million agreement was signed on August 16, 1999. The agreement is designed to build upon the strategic plans and priorities of the Regional Economic Development Boards to improve the long-term economic climate in regions impacted by the downturn in the groundfish industry.

It is delivered federally by ACOA and provincially by the Department of Development and Rural Renewal.

Media contact:

Doug Burgess
ACOA
(709) 772-2935

Josephine Cheeseman
Department of Development and Rural Renewal
(709) 729-4570

2000 01 05                                                     3:25 p.m.