The sun is shining and people are roaming about. There is a slight buzz in the air as conversation carries on like a light frequency. This is a slight hum. It could be called electric, but it flows more like a steady undercurrent through the crowd. There is laughter, the smell of food, crowds forming to take in the delight of an entertainer. People bind together into crowds. We could call this gelling effect a form of cohesion, community, a festival atmosphere, or we could just keep it simple and call it excitement, entertainment and something cool to do. There is something going on here and it is better than the average. It breaks out of mediocrity and creates something special, interesting and out of the ordinary.
Free is the name of the game, because nothing is better than what we do that costs absolutely nothing. There is an old adage, the overused sentence “the best things in life are free,” but hasn’t it carried on for so long because there is a core of truth to it. The majority must agree the cost of walking is nothing. What better way to spend a day than travelling in a festival area lined with food, good people and whacky performers hell-bent on entertaining us. This would be the path less taken and lo and behold it is an easier path than most. It is convenient.
If we want to research we can count the number of performers that will be coming here in July. Count them one by one, 13 performers arriving to do something that had never been done before, in Saskatchewan, until 2014. If you missed it last year, you can give yourself the opportunity to see what the entire buzz is really all about.
The North Battleford International Street Performer Festival is back and this major event is going to be held on the weekend of July 24, 25 and 26. This year’s line-up features a wide variety of guests including entertainers: the Great Balanzo, the Human Knot, break dancing crew Rhythm Speaks, Peter Panic, Something Fishy and the Fascinators, Harvey Anderson, Lea McGowan, Cindy Lou, Mariann Sinkovics, P’Wan, Rick Kunst, Ron Pearson and balloon maker Stephen Dubetz aka Pretzel.
Food will be provided by local vendors: Indian food by Mercy George — crepes and funnel cakes; Purple Onion Catering by Robin Cooper — hot dogs, sausage, tacos, nachos, cotton candy and sno cones; Margaret’s Concession by Margaret Picton — ice cream and frozen treats; Poppy’s Yum Buggy by Trent Ilett — fried chicken, french fries, corn bread, sweet potato pies; Soul Food for the Soul by Sonya Hilsendager; and a full on pig roast by the Battlefords Lions Club. There might be more booths by the time we make it to July. Fingers crossed.
It’s not difficult to be out in the sunshine in the summer months. Making it to downtown North Battleford is an easy, convenient endeavour and the pay off, for taking part in the adventure, is three fold. It’s free, fun and there is a variety of delicious food to eat all day. Donations are accepted by the performers, but it’s up to you to decide what you think it’s worth. So, what is a diamond in the not so rough really worth? A lot, probably one’s own weight in gold and as they say: the more the merrier.
