Roots & Blues

Jeff and I were all set for our grand adventure – The Roots & Blues Music Festival in Salmon Arm. I've practically made it a tradition, attending in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The festival took a Covid hiatus in 2020 and 2021. I tried to attend last year, 2023, specifically to see Blue Rodeo, but the fires last summer were intense and the festival canceled, plus my neighborhood ended up on Evacuation Alert the day we were supposed to depart. It was like all of BC was on fire.

Jeff and I

I am itching to dive back into the musical mayhem, but the Spotlight is on 2019 for this story. Now, enter Jeff, my trusty care worker and festival sidekick. He'd been my partner in crime for the previous years. This time our base of operations was Harold Provincial Park, just a stone's throw away from Salmon Arm. Why there, you ask? Well, folks with disabilities get the VIP treatment – free camping at provincial campgrounds. I mean, who doesn’t like free? It took us a leisurely two-hour drive from home to reach the campground.

Jeff was busy unloading the van and setting up my tent. Yes, you heard that right – I'm a tent camper extraordinaire. My tent is practically a mansion; it even accommodates my portable lift and has a separate quarter in the back for the help, oh wait, I mean Jeff.

My tent set up! Pretty cool, eh?

Picture this: Jeff had just finished the meticulous setup of my lift, and then it happened. He began a symphony of colorful language directed at no one in particular. Suddenly, he shot me a look and dropped the bomb, "Kyle, do you know where your sling is?" Now, for all the uprights out there, the sling is like a hammock on steroids, attaching to an overhead lift, resembling an engine hoist for those of us who navigate life on wheels. My response matched Jeff's earlier colorful outburst because, well, I forgot it. I left the sling at home, a good two hours away.

It was nearing 6 o'clock, and panic mode kicked in. Desperation calls were made, and I summoned my superhero friend Jenny. Not only was she a dear friend, but she also worked as a care worker for another buddy of mine. Convenient, right? Living close to me at that time, she generously offered to rescue us from our sling-less predicament.

Here's where the adventure took an unexpected turn. We were initially planning to meet her halfway, but it turned out she was speeding toward us. Like hauling ass en route and covering three-quarters of the distance while we were still a mere quarter into our return journey. Clearly fueled by some unknown energy source, Jenny was putting the pedal to the metal like a getaway driver in an action movie. And there we were, leaving our tent and all our meticulously arranged stuff behind, hopping into the van to catch up with our sling-saving savior.

The campsite we had was beautiful and I am certain it was the best spot, it had the perfect amount of shade and sun and it was private.  The facilities were totally accessible, complete with roll-under sinks, an ample-sized toilet stall, and even a roll-in shower.  Great job guys!  But enough about the campground and washrooms…on to the meat and potatoes of this post.

As a roots and blues veteran, I really appreciate how friendly and kind all of the staff and volunteers at the music festival are.  Care workers get a complimentary ticket to accompany me.  Another freebie!  At the main stage, there is a huge flat fully wheelchair-accessible reserved area that has lots of room to move around, and for the most part, the entire grounds are flat.

Our first day before the evening performances Jeff and I were cruising through the festival grounds, checking out the different stages and all the music it had to offer. We ran into 2 Canadian blues legends, Brother Ray Lemelin and Big Dave McLean, it was a bit of a reunion for Jeff as a long long time ago in a galaxy far away he played drums in bands for both of these guys. And of course, we got even more pics for grams. That night we enjoyed the music of The Lil Smokies, they were the headlining performers that evening.  I had not heard of them before and was not expecting much.  The Lil Smokies, exceeded all expectations, infusing the air with a soul-stirring newgrass bluegrass vibe, setting the stage for an unforgettable festival.

Big Dave McLean(R) & Brother Ray Lemelin(L)

The second day was turning out just as great as the first day, while looking around the merch tent, I noticed at the side of the tent all the members of The Lil Smokies were doing a radio show interview, so we hung around until they were done so I could snag a photo with them. 

Who’s a lil Smokie?

Once we were done hobnobbing with the celebrities we were feeling a bit peckish so off to the food trucks we went.  We saw one called ShabBang which sparked my curiosity, they specialized in grilled cheese sandwiches. I ordered one of their signature delicacies called ShabBang-Wich, talk about a mouth orgasm, my tastebuds were going crazy.  It was essentially a delicious grilled cheese with smokey pulled pork on sourdough bread.  It was one of the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had, and as I always say; cheese is the glue that holds my body together.

Lunch with a Bang!

Headlining that night was none other than Jim Cuddy, the lead singer of Blue Rodeo. Even though he was performing without Blue Rodeo, Jim was still so impressive.  I fell in love with his voice and since then I have seen him perform two more times with Blue Rodeo and I am eager to see them again! 

This aint his first Rodeo! But I guess it was mine. Jim Cuddy on Stage blowing my mind!

On the final night, Colin James was the headliner and his harmonica player, Steve Mariner who was also performing with his band MonkeyJunk stole my attention away from the main stage. Monkey Junk was playing on the Barnyard Stage and they were exceptional!  They are a smaller band now but I think they are going to go places.  You’re gonna go far kid!

Every night after the festival we would return to our campsite and lay our heads gently on our pillows.  I would have kept the party going but old man Jeff was exhausted.  Falling asleep while being serenaded by passing trains.  I remember this like it was yesterday.  

In the words of Forrest Gump, "And that's all I have to say about that."