Moose Jaw, the Notorious City previously known as the Band City, sees the successful completion of the 71st annual Band & Choral Festival this week.
Held between Monday, May 15 and Thursday, May 18, the event drew in large crowds and thousands of tourists and students from across the prairie provinces.
More than an educational festival dedicated to improving the musical performance of students from across the prairie provinces, the festival also brought with it entertainment and local talent for everyone in the community.
Each year that it’s held, the Band & Choral Festival also brings with it a positive impact on small local business.
One local business affected by the Band & Choral Festival is Past Times Old Time Photography & Gifts, located at 26 Main St. N. The owner of Past Times, Mike Thul, explains the positive impact on his business to offer one example felt by the whole community.
“We’re gifts galore, from ceiling to floor,” states Thul, speaking of Past Times. Their selection of inventory draws many shoppers, most notably tourists. Although he states that the business does not rely on tourism, the impact is heavily felt.
“Lots of band and choral festival members [were] in the store, as we carry lots of candies and lots of everything else. Lots are buying the chocolate moose fudge,” Thul states, along with “all the candies we’ve got.”
Thul confirms the additional influx of tourists, as they’ve made comments in his guest book. He sees a lot of commentary along the lines of: “wow, this is the best store ever,” a comment which extends to the community at large.
The excitement felt by his visitors and those who signed the guest book continues the legacy surrounding the festival, which originated in 1949.
“As a kid, I remember the band festival… we had the biggest marching parade in North America,” explains Thul, as he reminisces on past Band & Choral Festival events. This tradition, back from when Moose Jaw was known as the Band City, would have seen such a parade tomorrow, on Saturday.
Even though the parade is no longer included in the festival, Janie Fries, organizer of the Band & Choral Festival, mentions in a press release that an acknowledgement for all the hard work, effort, and dedication to those who are responsible for making the event a success is well deserved and should be the focus as the event draws to a close.
This acknowledgement extends to the Band & Choral Festival committee, who have put in thousands of hours of time and effort to make the event a success and impact our local economy, all the while providing this opportunity for thousands of young musicians across the prairies.
An acknowledgement and word of thanks is also extended to all those young musicians, their program directors, adjudicators, performers, and volunteers who have all come together to make the event a great success.
The Moose Jaw community can look forward to next year’s scheduled Band & Choral Festival, which is scheduled to take place May 13-16, 2024.
