On Saturday, Petrina Arnason donned a decorative half-face mask, beads, and feather boas for the Mardi Gras strolling parade by the RazzMaJazz ensemble at the Fort 91原创 Jazz & Arts Festival.
Along with some other people in Mardi Gras style, the former Township councillor danced down the street with the musicians as they made their way from the Fort 91原创 Farmer鈥檚 Market on Glover Road to the festival's main stage in front of Fort 91原创 Community Hall.
"This is the social highlight of my year," Arnason smiled.
She's been taking part in the parade for about five years, she estimated.
"I just love a good boa," Arnason, a former Township councillor, added.
"With the marching band, the liveliness in the morning in Fort 91原创, waking up with the excitement, you can hear the band in the background. It's just fun."
A familiar face was absent from Saturday's parade.
Usually, Dave Quinn, who is founder of RazMaJazz Entertainment, as well as co-founder and artistic director of the Fort 91原创 festival, would be playing clarinet with the band as it made its way down Glover.
But this year, Quinn was sidelined, hospitalized because of a severe septic infection in his artificial knee that spread into his blood stream and required emergency surgery just a few days before the festival was set to begin.
Festival co-founder and partner Karen Zukas shared a picture of Quinn on the phone, doing festival business from his hospital bed.
That鈥檚 dedication,鈥� Zukas said.
Zukas said Quinn was grateful and moved by all the well wishes he鈥檚 been receiving.
鈥淒isappointing to say the last, after a year of planning. But health first,鈥� she commented,
Quinn will be on what Zukas described as as aggressive antibiotics for three months.
For its eighth year year, the four-day festival featured more artists at more locations throughout the village of Fort 91原创..
There were 50 Canadian groups performing on three outdoor stages, including Fort 91原创 Community Hall, CNR Station, and the Mary Avenue and Glover Road intersection, as well as free art and Indigenous cultural workshops.
Ticketed headline acts included Vancouver Legacy Jazz Orchestra and Tom Arntzen, Cool Blues Show with six Canadian blues headliners, an Aretha Franklin Tribute with the Siobhan Walsh Group as well as a Gospel show: Jazz AWE."
Last year, the festival drew more than 10,000 attendees and generated $1.5 million in local economic activity.
鈥� with files from Roxanne Hooper
