The 2008 Alexandria Country Festival

It may be nicknamed ³Little Nashville, but there was nothing petite about this year¹s Tabac Jr. country music festival in Alexandria. From the estimated 10,000 fans who took in the music to the roughly 400 gargantuan trailers and motorhomes eclipsing the parking lot of the Glengarry Sports Palace and the old Consoltex building, the size of this year¹s show was staggering.
     The festival has grown by leaps and bounds since Patrick Quesnel and his wife, Lou Lou Ladouceur, took over putting on the Labour Day weekend event in 2005, carrying on the tradition started by Mr. Quesnel¹s late father, Marcel.
     In a tribute to the senior Mr. Quesnel, a banner with the words. We Remember You hung above the stage inside the Glengarry Sports Palace. Patrick Quesnel said he found the banner as he was sorting through his father's belongings after his death. Although its original meaning remains a mystery, the banner is now used to pay tribute to Mr. Quesnel, said his son. More than 30 artists took to the stage beneath the banner over the four-day festival in front of a sea of chairs on the arena floor. A pair of large screens displayed the concert for those spectators who preferred to take in the concert from the arena seats.
     In a nod to the performers, Mr. Quesnel credited the musicians for helping him roughly double the attendance over last year. It's the talent. The music is getting better and better each year, he said. The list of performers included a pair of local ladies in Tanya Lacombe and Alexandria teenager Anik Quesnel. The people loved them. We see a future for them, said Mr. Quesnel, adding that many area residents came out to support their hometown artists. Although there were many fans from Quebec and other parts of the country, plenty of local country music aficionados came out as well. Marielle Brunet lives across the street from the arena and admitted she had hoped she could enjoy the music from her own home. However, she ended up crossing the street on Saturday to take in the show.
     I'm tipping my hat to the organizers. It¹s so good to have something like this in the community. I hope they come back every year, said Mrs. Brunet. Gerald Trottier, who lives just outside of Alexandria, had a chance to speak with many out of town guests as a volunteer shuttling people from the parking lot to the arena on a tractor-pulled wagon. He suspects the town¹s economy got a boost as many guests dined in area restaurants, bought groceries and even visited some of the many yard sales open over the weekend.
     They got to know Alexandria and North Glengarry...It's good for the community, he said. Mr. Trottier and Mr. Quesnel said they both heard plenty of praise for the show's new venue. The Glengarry Sports Palace is close enough to downtown Alexandria that guests could take a stroll through town while the parking area provided a flat and dry surface craved by RV owners, said Mr. Quesnel. Despite the appearance of a packed house, Mr. Quesnel said there was still room for more than 100 additional campers, giving him and Ms. Ladouceur a goal for next year.
     I'm glad my wife and I have the same view, heading something that will grow every year, said Mr. Quesnel, adding that there are two main reasons he puts in the countless hours of hard work each year.
     It's a tradition to my dad...and I like to see people leaving with a smile, he said.
Article reprint with permission from the Glengarry News

A little something from this year's festival 2007

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