No matter what Mother Nature is doing, one thing is clear – Barrie’s signature festival, Kempenfest is steeped in history and community. While rain is expected throughout the day Sunday, Barrie’s Kempenfest continues. The region’s annual signature festival is something special for the city. “I think what you get here is this amazing Kempenfelt Bay – there’s a series of boats that are rafting over here and I can see the Ferris wheel in the background and the skyline,” says Chair of Board of Directors for Kempenfest Paul Markle. “It’s just a magical place in the summertime, to be on the water listening to music, enjoying great food and, in a lot of cases, being here with family. So that’s what I would say is the reason you need to come to Barrie. See what it’s all about.” Markle says it’s been a seamless start to the weekend. “It’s our 54th year of doing this so some of this stuff becomes old hat,” Markle says. The more than 300 vendors lining the shores of Kempenfelt Bay sell products for everyone’s tastes. “Vendors are happy, the cash registers are ringing, the music’s playing. It’s a great day to be in Barrie,” says Markle. While there are some new vendors and activations every year, there’s something to be said about what Markle describes as “status quo.” “It’s largely a homecoming for people that live in this region,” Markle says. Many vendors come back year after year, like Napoleon Home Comfort in Barrie, who’s been at Kempenfest for the last 27 years. The booth started near Centennial Beach back in the day, but when the stage moved to Southshore, so did Napoleon, to be close to the action. “It’s a big set-up on our part, but you know what, it’s time to give back sometimes. And this is what we do,” says Steve Gauci, general manager of the Napoleon. One feature of the booth is a massive trailer filled with fireplaces visitors can check out. Gauci says it’s the community that brings them back every year. “Just in general the people that come down here every year and do what we do, big or small, it’s our own little community,” he says. Other vendors are newer to Kempenfest like Livin Lake Simcoe, a family business out of Barrie that began with four women. Samantha Cameron, one of the team members, says they were able to find a spot in the market for them. “We are trying to bring lake life, beach wear, surfer vibes to Barrie. Nothing has Lake Simcoe branding. We are the only brand that has Lake Simcoe now,” says Cameron. Livin Lake Simcoe sells items like ponchos, robes, hats, blankets and sweatshirts. It’s the business’s fifth year at Kempenfest and it’s that community feel that brings them back again and again. “The people, everybody always looks forward to seeing us at Kempenfest. And it’s a great weekend. We love doing local things and being part of this community,” says Cameron. Organizers say roughly 70 per cent of people who come to Kempenfest are from Barrie and this area. In total, Markle says 140,000 people will come to Kempenfest throughout the 4 days. Since the festival isn’t ticketed, he says attendance can be tricky to track, but they are able to draw from cell phone data. He also stresses the importance of keeping money in the local economy. “Come down and keep your dollars in Ontario, keep them in Barrie. And help to support this amazing economy that we have here,” says Markle. “That local spending makes a massive impact.” Sunday is PURE Country day with country group High Valley headlining on the main stage by Southshore Centre. Opening for them are Elyse Suanders and Bree Taylor. While those are ticketed events, there’s plenty of free live music throughout the day Sunday from Graham Trude, Tyler Lorette, Badland and The Bareback Riders.
