by David Acomba, Founder 

In 2002, the whole town 
of Port Hope marched 
joyously down Walton Street 
during the very first 
All Canadian Jazz Festival 

It was 1987, and I remember sitting with a fellow jazz fan in the Beamish House, discussing what a great place Port Hope would be for a jazz festival. When I moved permanently to the area around 2000, I set about making this dream a reality. 

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It was frustrating that Canadian jazz musicians always appeared second on the bill, and that they were paid less than American artists playing in Montreal and Toronto. Several cities in Canada had vibrant jazz scenes. I wanted Canadian musicians to be given first-class treatment, including excellent sound, lighting, and staging.

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Years earlier, I made a documentary film on the 1969 Mariposa Folk Festival, which took place on the Toronto islands, featuring Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and many others. This raised the interesting prospect of a jazz festival entirely outdoors, under canvas, in Port Hope’s Memorial Park.

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First, we needed to raise the money, and if the festival were to be truly all-Canadian, a substantial budget would be needed to bring in musicians from across the country.  

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The first person I approached was Port Hope’s Rod Stewart. Halfway through my pitch, he said, “Wait a minute…” and disappeared, returning with a cheque for $1,000. Then, a few other Port Hopians came forward with start-up funds, including Phil Carter, Daphne Svenningson and Bill Edwards. Elizabeth Wilson, who had recently moved to Port Hope, was a seasoned fundraiser and substantial supporter of the arts and local community. She volunteered right away. With this support, it was time to approach Port Hope Town Council.

 

Following a presentation, Town Council gave us a start-up grant of $20,000, provided we could match those funds with private donations within a couple of months. Elizabeth and I quickly developed our ‘dog and pony show’, which we took to every house and organization in town. Gaining significant support, we managed to surpass even Council’s requirements.

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Elizabeth also put a Board together and ensured we received a charitable tax donation number. A group began planning the festival and filling out every government arts/tourist funding organization application available. 

 

Our key volunteers included Brian MacFarlane, Christa Bisanz, Victor Svenningson, Evelyn Cream and Michael Wallace. Because of its broad cross-country scope, we decided to engage legendary Toronto jazz presenter Sybil Walker as programmer.


The Hurricane

In our second year, we were flying high. The first year had been a big success and tickets for 2003 were selling well. As the weekend approached, the only ‘cloud’ on the horizon was a HURRICANE - headed toward the GTA, and scheduled to land exactly on Port Hope.

 

By Friday, panic had descended. If we cancelled, would our insurance cover losses? No. Would we possibly have to give back our government grants? Maybe. Would our tents withstand 100 km plus winds? Who knew?  

 

Concerned for its own liability, the town asked for the engineering specifications for the tents, and there were none. They asked what could happen if we just went ahead and let people take their chances, and were quickly told in no uncertain terms that when the winds reach about 80 kph, “babies start flying out of their mothers’ arms!”

 

We quickly found a local engineer who asked for adjustments to the tents’ securement and dutifully presented an engineering report. He didn’t think they would collapse on people, but couldn’t guarantee that in very high winds they wouldn’t “dislodge”.

 

By early Saturday morning, when dark clouds surrounded the GTA, Port Hope broke out in glorious sunshine. The hurricane missed us!

 

The festival sold out, and as people arrived into the park following the Walton Street Jazz Parade, I’ll always remember Brad Halls, a talented pianist, board member and generous donor, under the entrance tent, playing his piano and welcoming everyone as if it were all meant to be. And I guess it was.

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