The Circle Education is celebrating its 30th anniversary in August. Leading up to this milestone, we talk with people who played a significant role in our history. Kate Nash and James Cowan look back at Sparkfest, a grassroots music festival that raised funds for our Pass it On program.
Sparkfest originated in 2011 when Kate Nash, now program manager for The Circle Education, was in her first year working as a facilitator for SWOVA. In second semester, she was asked to lead Youth Team, a group of high school students who supported as facilitators with the organization’s in-school programs at the time.
“We didn’t have a lot of budget for our Pass it On program, and the Youth Team wanted to be of service,” Kate recalls. “They came up with the idea for the fundraiser, an event that showcased Pass it On, run for youth and by youth, and that would appeal to youth. Which was new, because a lot of the fundraisers, although raising funds for programs for youth, were not necessarily youth-centered.”
While Kate and the Youth Team were full of ideas, they lacked experience in organizing a festival, so she asked her friend and event organizer, James Cowan, to assist them. “That first year, I said ‘yes’ mainly as a favour to Kate”, he says. “I didn’t know much about SWOVA, or Pass it On, but when I learned more, I realized the importance of the work they did, and the programs they were offering in school. My child had just turned six, and I thought: I need this to be around in another eight years when my child is old enough to be in Pass it On, so I’ll do anything I can to help.”
Together with the participants of the Youth Team and Pass it On, Kate and James organized eight Sparkfests. “The youth and I would come up with plans, and James would ask me: Have you thought about ‘this’, and have you done ‘that’? It cemented the way we communicated. We brought in the creative ideas, and James backed it with his organizational brain.”
The first Sparkfest happened in 2011 at the Farmers’ Institute. “In hindsight, that location was hilarious because it’s massive”, says Kate with a smile. “Way too big for the fifty people who showed up that first time, but it was super fun. We made waffles, we had a bike smoothie blender, door prizes and live music playing all afternoon. We ended the festival with sparklers that we lit, because the group wanted the festival to be called Sparkfest. We wanted to spark ideas and connections.”
A year later, Sparkfest took place at Harbour House and eventually the event moved to Barb’s Buns. “The Orchard Room at Harbour House had hands down the best acoustics on the island”, James continues. “It was a great location and we were lucky because Harbour House donated the space for many years in a row before we ultimately moved to the heart of Ganges at Barb’s Buns.”
Kate adds: “In the first years, I just called people and asked if they wanted to buy a ticket; it was all word of mouth. When we moved to Barb’s, the event became more visible. We opened the sliding doors when the weather was nice and people who passed by wondered: ‘What is this?’ It felt really special to turn a place that people love so much into a musical venue. It also gave me the opportunity to get on that soap box and tell everyone how important Pass it On was. It generated a lot of awareness for the program and what we did as an organization.”
With their different connections in the music scene, Kate and James managed to establish amazing line-ups over the years. Not only did local musicians support Sparkfest but established Canadian singer-songwriters like Kinnie Star, Mae Moore, Tara MacLean and Ashleigh Ball also performed at the event. “We hustled hotel rooms and meals for them, and artists that otherwise wouldn’t have come to the island, all performed here for free.”
What started as a way to fundraise for Pass it On, grew into a yearly highlight for youth on Salt Spring Island. “Sparkfest was initially a strategic move to secure my job and a way to make sure this program continued, but it became so much more”, Kate says. “We generated a couple of thousand dollars a year for Pass it On, but when the program became more established, more funds became available. That’s when we started using the Sparkfest money to set up a similar program for boys. I thought Pass it On was only relevant if we had a program for both genders.”
Sparkfest concluded prior to the pandemic as part of a strategic shift in organizational priorities. Both Kate and James look back at the Sparkfest years with affection. “It was awesome. Throwing a show is a pretty fun thing to do,” James says. Kate adds: “Wouldn’t it be fun to bring it back one more time?”
