BY MAT CLOUSER
BRANDON — By all accounts, Saturday’s first Brandon-based iteration of the long-standing art and music shindig SolarFest was a success. If anything, the criticism might have been that it was a bit too sunny, as if the sun gods—you know, Appolo, Sól, Ra, Mithra, Kisosen, and the lot—had conspired to make the party as true to its heliocentric name as possible.
As the saying goes, only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Well, mad dogs, Englishmen, and now Brandonites and other lovers of SolarFest, anyway.
The festival—which has been raising awareness for solar and renewable energy as far back as 1995—recently announced that it had put down permanent roots in Brandon following a brief COVID-induced hiatus, and Saturday’s events were as much a “test-run” for the site and facilities and their future as it was about rocking out for a cause this year.
In years past, SolarFest was a full weekend event, something that COVID and the recent relocation proved to make prohibitively tricky this year—although organizers say that’s what they intend to get back to starting as soon as next year. SolarFest president Bill Laberge said, “It was wonderful to work with the community of Brandon for the launch of our new home. This was a fun launch, with greater things to come.”
On offer this year were food, workshops, demonstrations on the latest solar and renewable energy news and tech, EV viewings, a science of energy display, a kid’s corner with face painting and a petting zoo, and, of course, music from the likes of Cam Gilmour, the Andris Berry Band, the Krishna Guthrie Band, Fern Maddie, Phil Henry, Lara Herscovitch, Cloudbelly, Dylan Patrick Ward, Luminous Crush, and Satyrdagg.
Following the event, The Reporter caught up with one of SolarFest’s trustees, Mike Bailey, to get a sense of how organizers felt this year’s festival came off. The following is an excerpt of that exchange:
TR: How did the planning for this year’s fest go?
MB: As a non-profit organization, we are fortunate to have volunteers who are dedicated to our mission of education and to fostering this next era of growth. We had four committees who worked together seamlessly for site improvement, musical performances, renewable power production, and festival activities.
TR: How many people attended SolarFest on Saturday?
MB: We had over 600 people attend our “Homecoming Celebration” on Sept. 10, which allowed a successful test run of the site and facilities… [which] demonstrated the ability to safely and enjoyably handle the logistics of parking, performances, food, and all the other activities involved with creating complete, family-friendly festivals going forward.
TR: What is SolarFest most excited about moving forward?
MB: There are many important conversations happening right now connecting SolarFest with a wide variety of organizations where we can work together and share resources to help resolve issues. These include the areas of energy conservation, equitably expanding renewable power, creating workforce development opportunities, providing new possibilities for regenerative agriculture, and other ways to build a better, more sustainable future for our community.
TR: Are there any updates on the plans for the future of SolarFest’s space or its programming?
MB: Now that we’ve showcased some of the potentials for our new home, we will be working to refine the permanent improvements needed to hold events, classes, and other activities. Before year-end, we will be introducing a calendar of events for 2023 as a baseline that will be subject to expansion as we move ahead.
TR: Is there anything else that readers of The Reporter should know?
MB: SolarFest is thrilled to be home in Brandon!
