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Ed Fest to take over downtown Cranbrook
A 16-foot elephant will roam downtown Cranbrook, lanterns will light Rotary Park and two powerhouse brass bands will close the nights when Ed Fest returns September 18 and 19.
The free, two-day arts and music festival is jointly led by Key City Theatre and Cranbrook Arts, working with Cranbrook Community Theatre, the Cranbrook History Centre and other community partners, artists, sponsors and volunteers.
This year’s festival marks the 100th anniversary of Cranbrook’s famous elephant escape.
In August 1926, elephants from the visiting Sells-Floto Circus stampeded while being unloaded at the CPR stockyards. Most were quickly recovered, but two remained loose in the region for weeks. The last to be captured, Charlie Ed, became known as Cranbrook Ed.
A century later, Ed is on the loose again.
“This year connects a distinctly Cranbrook story with an ambitious lineup of local and touring artists,” said Galen Olstead, Executive Director of Key City Theatre. “People can make art, watch theatre and circus, join the parades and dance in the park. We want Ed Fest to feel playful, welcoming and just a little unruly.”
Cranbrook Community Theatre will bring the events of 1926 to the stage through three short vignettes performed across both days of the festival. The first recreates the excitement and anticipation surrounding the circus’s arrival in Cranbrook. The following scenes trace the elephants’ escape and Ed’s eventual capture while recognizing the people and communities involved in the search.
Friday: Lanterns and Slavic brass punk
Friday evening begins with visual art, storytelling, theatre and community performance.
Festivalgoers can make lanterns, print banners and take part in drop-in activities at the Cranbrook Arts booth. Cranbrook Arts’ pottery artists have also created ceramic elephants for the Great Ed-xchange. Visitors can decorate an Ed, give it to a friend or leave it on the exchange shelf for another festivalgoer.
Rico and Sioux Browning will present An Elephantastical Tale, using a hand-cranked illustrated scroll, live storytelling and music to bring Ed’s adventure to life.
Cranbrook Community Theatre will begin its three-part account of the 1926 circus visit, introducing audiences to the excitement of a travelling circus arriving in town.
As darkness falls, Cranbrook Arts and the Light Revelry Lantern Crew will lead the community Lantern Parade through Rotary Park. Participants can carry their handmade lanterns and join the procession.
Friday’s stage program also includes the Dean Smith Trio, Cranbrook Community Dance and the Kootenay Women’s Choir.
Lemon Bucket Orkestra closes the night at 8:35 p.m.
Known as the O.G. Slavic Brass Punks, Lemon Bucket Orkestra combines Ukrainian, Balkan and Eastern European music with punk energy and theatre. Horns, drums and voices move beyond the stage as the band draws the crowd directly into its performance.
Saturday: Ed runs loose
Saturday begins with activities for children and families, a vendor market, food trucks, visual art and performances throughout Rotary Park.
Kimberley Pipe Band opens the mainstage program at 11 a.m., followed by Brass Roots at 12:30 p.m. The 12-piece East Kootenay ensemble plays jazz, swing, Latin, funk, big-band favourites, rock classics and familiar film themes.
Cranbrook Community Theatre’s vignettes continue as the story moves from the elephants’ escape to the search for Ed and his eventual capture.
The theatrical retelling leads naturally into Saturday’s Elephant Stampede, led by Bohemian Misfits.
At the centre of the procession is Cranbrook Ed, a 16-foot fabric-and-metal elephant puppet created by Cranbrook artist and performer Marcel Dou Roig. Ed will travel through downtown accompanied by circus performers, physical comedy and street theatre.
Festivalgoers are encouraged to wear their silliest and most artistic costumes and join the stampede.
Discover Circus will continue the action in Rotary Park with circus performances and roaming artists throughout the day.
Saturday night on the mainstage
Kimberley’s Heather Gemmell takes the stage at 5:30 p.m. A CBC Searchlight 2022 Fan Choice Award recipient, Gemmell performs as a one-woman band with a sound rooted in blues, bluegrass and rock and roll.
At 6:10 p.m., award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Cara Luft performs with Cranbrook musician Clayton Parsons. Luft brings direct, personal songwriting and accomplished folk musicianship, while Parsons draws from country, roots and the American folk revival.
Cranbrook five-piece Side Hustle follows at 7:20 p.m. Fronted by Paul Dyson, the band draws from classic rock, country and heavy metal.
My Son the Hurricane closes Ed Fest at 8:45 p.m.
The Niagara-based 12-piece is powered by multiple horns, drummers and vocalists, mixing brass funk, hip-hop, rock and jazz in a tightly choreographed show. The band has toured across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe and has shared stages with Foo Fighters, Jason Isbell, I Mother Earth and Colin James.
Their invitation to the audience is simple: try not to dance!
Art in the park and downtown
Visual art will run through both days of Ed Fest.
Trunks on Trees, an installation by Nelson artist Erica Konrad, will place a playful collection of elephant trunks throughout Rotary Park.
Visitors can watch artists including Kya Dubois work at the live-painting booth, browse local art and handmade goods in the vendor market, and have a poem written for them on the spot by Barry Coulter.
Windows Gone Wild extends the festival into downtown businesses, with participating storefronts creating their own Ed Fest displays. Visitors can follow the route and vote for their favourite.
The Cranbrook History Centre will share photographs, articles and an interactive presentation about Ed, the 1926 elephant hunt and the local people involved.
Food trucks will operate throughout the festival, and JCI Kootenay will host the Ed Fest Beer Garden with alcoholic and non-alcoholic refreshments.
Ed Fest runs Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19 at Rotary Park and in downtown Cranbrook. Admission and festival programming are free.
The complete schedule and festival information are available at edfest.ca.
Photos submitted
Key City Theatre and Cranbrook Arts
