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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox The Music Bowl at Thomas Park in New Sweden was the stage for 19 Maine bands to perform during the daylong music festival Aroostakoostik held on Saturday. For more photos from the festival, please turn to page 10. |
By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
NEW SWEDEN — As it has for the past seven years, Thomas Park in New Sweden once again played host on Saturday to Arootsakoostik, a daylong music festival featuring bands from all over the state of Maine.
This year’s Arootsakoostik’s lineup included 19 groups, the majority of which hailed from the Portland area and ranged in genre from bluegrass to indie rock. According to the festival’s founder and organizer, Travis Cyr, the crowd was estimated to be around 750, the largest that the festival has drawn so far.
There were also a wide variety of vendors this year, selling items such as food, jewelry and T-shirts. A wood carving artist from the Belfast area was also there to demonstrate his talent; a hula-hoop expert provided lessons; a tattoo artist offered henna tattoos; and horse rides around the park were available.
“This is my favorite venue to set up at,” said Alicia Schenk of Sally Bateau Handcrafted Goodness in Fort Kent. “Travis is great. He doesn’t ask for a thing and lets us set up where we want.”
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox A crowd of approximately 750 people braved the heat and bugs at Thomas Park in New Sweden on Saturday to enjoy the Arootsakoostik music festival, which featured 19 bands from throughout the state of Maine. |
As a traveling musician, Cyr found himself crossing paths with several other members of bands from around the state who told him they would like to play The County, but could never find the right venue. This inspired Cyr to begin Arootsakoostik and put the amazing acoustics of the historic Music Bowl tucked away in Thomas Park to good use.
Cyr does a great deal of the work planning the event himself, enlisting the help of his friend Matt Beaulieu and approximately eight others to pull it off.
“The hardest part is scheduling,” admitted Cyr. “It’s hard to tell a band, ‘You have to be here at 11:00.’ Everybody is a headliner. They all get 40 minutes on stage. Just because they’re playing last doesn’t mean they’re playing to the biggest crowd.”
Band members definitely seem to enjoy the experience of performing in the Aroostook County woods. For Peter Winne of Portland-based band Tumbling Bones, who describe their music as a mix of old-time country and old-fashioned blues, it was the first time he had been this far north.
“It’s wonderful here,” Winne, awash with sweat after an enthusiastic step dance in the sticky 80-degree weather, commented. “What a beautiful place. Great weather.”
For Michael O’Hehir of the Kennebunk-based band Old Soul, it was his first trip to The County as well.
“We’d been trying for a couple of years to come up,” O’Hehir said. “Travis got in touch with us and we were able to make it this year. It’s great so far.”
Veterans of Arootsakoostik felt pretty much the same.
“What’s not to love?” exclaimed vocalist and squeezebox/washboard player Riley Shryock, who was at Arootsakoostik with his band, Dark Hollow Bottling Company, for the third time.
For The Ghost of Paul Revere, the final band to perform at the 2013 concert, it was their second trip to Arootsakoostik.
“It’s good food, good music, a good crowd,” Ghost band member Sean McCarthy said.
“We forget about the wave,” band mate Max Davis added with a laugh. “Everybody waves here whether they know you or not.”
Cyr advised he has no trouble finding bands, something that has changed over the years when the first Arootsakoostik in 2007 featured only five bands.
“Now I have more than my fair share of knocks on the door,” Cyr said.
The audience was also full of many repeat visitors. Presque Isle’s Rick Graves, who was at the festival with several family members, advised it had become a tradition to go each year for the variety of music and the family-friendly atmosphere.
“We like to get up off the couch,” Graves said.
Caribou’s Lanette Virtanen was there for a second time, also drawn back by the music.
“I’m a sucker for the CDs,” Virtanen admitted.
According to Cyr, there were some changes this year. A second stage that had been present in past years was not used.
“We got complaints that people were missing bands with the two stages,” Cyr said.
The gates also opened a half-hour earlier and the bands performed an hour later than previously.
“People came earlier and stayed later,” advised Cyr.
The proceeds from each Arootsakoostik are donated to charity. This year, the event had a special mission of helping one of the bands that has played at the festival.
Maine native Dave Lamb of the band Brown Bird, which appeared at Arootsakoostik in 2010 and 2012, had been recently diagnosed with leukemia. A photo of the band at last year’s festival was transferred on to a canvas print and raffled off, raising about $250 for Lamb. Cyr was also allotting $1,000 of the festival’s proceeds to go to Lamb.
“This is a band that gained some national attention,” Cyr said of Brown Bird. “They still played Arootsakoostik last year, and we were honored that they didn’t forget about us. We wanted to take care of one of our own.”
A $500 donation for the restoration of Thomas Park will also be made from the proceeds.
With this year’s Arootsakoostik only days behind him, Cyr had already begun thinking of ideas for next year’s festival, keeping notes on the continuous lessons learned each year.
“It taxes on every part of me. It’s a continuing juggling act,” Cyr said.
But his passion for music and pride in his accomplishment were evident on Cyr’s face as he sat in the festival’s audience during the performances. The growing success of Arootsakoostik is his reward for the grueling hours of hard work that go into its planning.
“I’m so honored and humbled by it every year. I love every aspect of it. I even enjoy picking up the cigarette butts two days later,” Cyr laughed. “I want to thank everybody for the continued support. I can’t express my gratitude to everyone enough.”
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Arootsakoostik organizer Travis Cyr addresses the crowd at the annual music festival at Thomas Park in New Sweden on Saturday. |
Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Riley Shryock of the band Dark Hollow Bottling Company, played the washboard during a performance at the Arootsakoostik music festival held at Thomas Park on Saturday. |
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox The band Dead End Armory, from left, drummer Chris Dibiasio, singer Wesley Hartley, guitarist Mike O’Connor and bassist Leslie Deane were joined on stage by stick juggler at the Arootsakoostik music festival held at Thomas Park on Saturday. |
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Tumbling Bones member Peter Winne took a dive off a monitor while band mate Jake Hoffman looked on during the band’s performance at Arootsakoostik in Thomas Park on Saturday. |
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Members of Portland band The Ghost of Paul Revere, from left, Sean McCarthy, Max Davis and Griffin Sherry, couldn’t stop themselves from dancing as they waited to perform at the Arootsakoostik music festival held in Thomas Park on Saturday. |
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/LisaWilcox Alicia Schenk of Fort Kent was one of many vendors set up at the Arootsakoostik music festival held at Thomas Park in New Sweden on Saturday. |
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Two-year-old Penny Verner of Falmouth tried to make a break for it in her mother’s shoes as she spent Saturday afternoon at the Arootsakoostik music festival in Thomas Park on Saturday. |
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox Rick Graves, center, of Presque Isle danced with friends and family during a performance at the Arootsakoostik music festival held in Thomas Park on Saturday. |
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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox At left, Ilsah Peterson, left, and her cousin Amalla Peterson enjoyed some popcorn and music at the Arootsakoostik music festival held at Thomas Park on Saturday. |
