‘Rock chick’ hooked on folk-fest volunteering

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This article was published 07/07/2014 (4323 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Candice Masters didn’t listen to folk music when she attended her first Winnipeg Folk Festival in the ’70s. It took a breakup with a boyfriend to get her there.

“I was at home pining and my sister said, ‘Get off your butt and come volunteer!’â” recalled Masters, 57. “I was a rock chick, but she dragged me along anyhow. From the first experience, I was hooked.”

Masters has been back to volunteer each year since and will be at Birds Hill Provincial Park when the 41st annual festival begins on Wednesday. Her sister estimates this will be Masters’ 40th festival.

“I’m not 100 per cent sold on that, but it’s been a long time.”

Since around 2001, Masters has volunteered as the mainstage artist liaison. Her responsibility is to make sure everything goes according to plan.

She puts together binders of information for the mainstage hosts so they are informed about the festival and know what to say on stage, makes sure the musicians are well taken care of when they get to the festival site and helps address any problems that may arise.

“I’m on the front line with the mainstage artists and get to act as an ambassador for the festival.”

Working with the Buena Vista Social Club, a collective of elderly musicians from Cuba, stands out as a highlight. Masters worked closely with the band’s tour manager to make sure their needs were met and their experience at the festival was positive.

After the band members performed, they loaded onto their bus to leave the site. Their tour manager came out one more time to give Masters a hug. The band wanted to thank her one more time and express that if the festival ever wanted to have them back, they would come.

“I love sending people away with the thought in their mind that this is a great festival,” Masters said. “If we have to solve a problem, we do it quickly and efficiently so that they have a great experience.”

Masters is one of 3,000 people who will volunteer at the festival this year. She describes volunteering as a team effort and likens the relationships that are formed to a family.

Each year is a new experience, whether it’s falling in love with a musical act she’s never heard before, or making a new friend.

“The highlight has been the friendships I’ve created and maintained during my time with the festival. I might not have seen some of them for 10 years, but we still communicate. It’s an experience that you share with people and you never lose them, even if you don’t see them all the time.”

So while Masters used to confine her music listening to rock, albums by the likes of Pete Seeger and Stan Rogers now stand alongside Led Zeppelin and Queen in her record collection.

She encourages everyone to attend. Don’t count on getting her volunteer position, though. Masters plans on being the mainstage artist liaison for years to come.

“They’ll have to carry me out of there in a box, ’cause I’m never leaving.”

 

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com.