A photo display this weekend at Little Brown Jug will be on display at the festival this summer. Some of its volunteers are in their 80s and are still committed to the creative people power that has sustained one of the biggest annual Canadian events for 50 years.
For forty years, Bob Tinker has been volunteering at the Winnipeg Folk Festival – each of those years behind the lens of a camera. But as he looks at the photos from the 1970’s spread across the panels at Little Brown Jug this week, he sees more than just musicians and crowds. He sees the origins of a unique community.
“I am a photographer; it’s what I do. But everything about Folk Fest is special, which is why I keep coming back” says Tinker, one of eleven long-time volunteers being honored as the festival celebrates its 50th anniversary. The photography volunteer has watched the festival evolve and expand – and a new exhibit celebrates that incredible legacy, and the volunteers who made it happen
The photo exhibit “50 Years of Folk: An Evolution of a Festival” opened for a sneak peek at the Little Brown Jug on Thursday, offering Winnipeggers their first look at five decades of festival history before the milestone celebration takes place July 10-13 at Birds Hill Provincial Park. Each of the five large panels represents a decade, and the progression tells how a festival transformed from a scrappy outdoor gathering to one of North America’s premier music events.
“I was a Folk Fest attendee for decades before I became staff, said Executive Director Valerie Shantz. “For the 50th, we have the usual amazing lineup, with some extra sparkles I’m really looking forward to – and none of it happens without our incredible volunteers.”
The volunteers being honored Thursday represent tens of thousands of hours of unpaid work that built the festival into what it is today. “It’s an annual gathering for people who sometimes you only see at the festival, but who feel like family,” said Donna Pacholok, who, along with her husband Ed, (who is the longest serving member of the site crew) has attended the festival for five decades. “We have three generations who will be coming to the Festival this year.”
Candice Masters, the Main Stage Liaison, in reflecting on it’s growth, says even today it comes down to one thing: “When we started we didn’t even have a phone on site. Now it’s this big well-oiled machine,” says Masters, who has volunteered for every year of the festival. “But it still always comes down to the people, the smiles, the wandering, and the music.”
Those photos also reflect the broader changes in Winnipeg’s diverse cultural landscape. What started as a folk purist’s gathering has expanded to include everything from world music to
contemporary indie acts, and this year is no exception. With artists like Bruce Cockburn, who played at the very first festival, to legendary soul singer Mavis Staples, making her long-awaited festival debut, the Festival continues to expand its portfolio and redefine folk music.
That musical expansion is what continues to excite legacy volunteer John Prentice. “I became a volunteer because I wanted to get closer to the music and find out what happens behind those trees at night, said Prentice, also a former board member. “Being a volunteer is the full Folk Fest experience.’
Executive Director Shantz says these volunteers have been crucial not just for their institutional memory, but for helping the festival stay true to its roots while embracing change. “They have set us up well for the future by helping us understand the past. The idea for the photo exhibit came from them.”
The photo project, funded partly by the federal New Horizons for Seniors Program, will move to the festival site in July, where volunteers will be available to share stories from Friday through Sunday near the Folk School stage. But for this week, festival-goers can get their first glimpse while sampling the limited-edition Folk Fest lager – the official beer of the 50th anniversary, which, as Folk Fest declares, airs perfectly with live music and sunshine.
The panels will remain at Little Brown Jug through Sunday, offering Winnipeggers a chance to see their summer soundtrack documented in black and white, color, and everything in between.
The 50th Winnipeg Folk Festival runs July 10-13, 2025 at Birds Hill Provincial Park. The photo exhibit continues at Little Brown Jug (336 William Ave) through May 25.