The Arts on the Fly music festival July 10-11 was another huge success. Three stages, more than 40 different acts, dozens of performers and a few hundred music goers transformed pastoral Horsefly into two days of joyful celebration.
The event was the community’s 10th annual music festival attracting people from far and wide to enjoy the festivities that included six workshops, a kids’ zone “amoozement” park and a vendor’s market in Horsefly’s magical natural environment.
Geoff Patenaude, one of the musical grandfathers of Horsefly, was in his element on the tweener stage, with son, Cole Patenaude, on guitar, and drummer Jacob Moondog Gillespie.
Jason and Pharis Romero’s act was one of the highlights of the festival. Pharis spoke fondly about growing up in a musical household where she and her siblings would join her dad, Geoff Patenaude, on stage at music festivals around the country.
The Romeros started as a simple duo, but quickly blossomed into a full band with Brent Morton on drums, Brandon Hoffman on bass and Mark Jenkins on peddle steel and electric guitar. Pharis’s sisters Marin and Ciel Patenaude also joined them on stage with vocal harmonies.
Other local performers included Jesse LeBourdais, Colin Easthope, Sam Tudor, Flannel Roots, Troy Forcier, Jesaja Class and Carmen Mutschele.
Arts on the Fly is a completely volunteer-run festival, billing itself as creating new stories and memories for generations to come. There’s some truth to that.