Day After Stanfest to Boost Eastern Nova Scotia

Sherbrooke Village will host the inaugural Day After Stanfest on Monday, July 3, to help attract visitors and keep them in the area longer.

Featured at the event will be Nathan Rogers and Ainsley Friesen from Manitoba; Juno Award winning bluesman Ray Bonneville from Montreal; George Brothers, Jeff Feltmate, Alana Hayne, Terri MacDonald and Lisa Hallett, from the Sherbrooke area; multiple East Coast Music Award winner J.P. Cormier from Cape Breton; Barry Gilmour from Antigonish; multiple East Coast Music Award winner Lennie Gallant and Ron Crozier from P.E.I.; the Young Guysborough Fiddlers from Guysborough; and longtime Sherbrooke musical friend Valdy, from B.C.

"We're pleased to see organizations working together on an event that will give visitors another reason to stay in the area longer," said Rodney MacDonald, Minister of Tourism and Culture. "Our department has always encouraged industry participants to work together to maximize tourism opportunities, and this is a great example of what partnerships can accomplish."

The Stan Rogers Folk Festival has been a major contributor to the growth of tourism in Eastern Nova Scotia, earning the festival the 1998 Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia's Festival & Event Award. Similarly, Nova Scotia Museum's Sherbrooke Village, which won the association's Attraction Award last year, has long been one of the anchor tourism destinations in the eastern part of the province.

"To encourage visitors, we're offering half-price admission to Sherbrooke Village and the Day After Stanfest concert to those who have Stan Rogers bracelets," said Craig MacDonald, director of the award-winning museum. "We're pleased to be working closely with community partners such as the Stan Rogers Folk Festival and the St. Mary's Recplex. It's a win-win situation all around. And for all those who've sung I wish I was in Sherbrooke Now, we're offering a chance to live those words on July 3."

Workshop-style concerts start at 2 p.m. and run until 5 p.m., with the mainstage concert beginning at 6 p.m. The events take place at the Sherbrooke Village Performance Centre, with the Sherbrooke Courthouse and the St. Mary's High School available as back-up venues in case of inclement weather.