The 12th annual Harvest Moon Festival took place in Clearwater, Manitoba this past weekend. One of the last of its kind in the year, the festival is both a welcoming of fall and a celebration of summer, especially for the growers, distributors, and buyers involved in the Harvest Moon Society. Those who managed to get tickets before they sold out were treated to great weather, over a dozen informative workshops, and a solid lineup of local talent.
Burning Kettles warm up the crowd as the first main stage act of Harvest Moon Festival 2013.
The Mariachi Ghost get Friday’s main stage crowd pumped up with their wild live performance.Mama Cutsworth lays down some sick beats to finish off Friday night’s main stage.Some of the younger Harvest Mooners play a giant game of Guess Who?, one of several supersized versions of childhood favourites.A festival-goer wanders community garden near the festival grounds, complete with flowers, vegetables, and even a chicken run.Animal Teeth’s mixture of ambience and overdrive set the vibe for Saturday afternoon’s crowd at the restaurant stage.Singer Mat Klachefsky and his band Boats get the dance party at the restaurant stage on Saturday afternoon.The JD Edwards Band plays to a packed and rowdy crowd as the last of Saturday’s main stage acts.These Mooners don’t seem to mind the aromas of campfire smoke and Porta Potties as they relax with a Sunday morning yoga class.Clearwater local and festival emcee Robert Guilford has his morning coffee as the festival winds down on Sunday.The Riel Gentlemen’s Choir perform for the breakfast crowd in the hall on Sunday morning.Festival organizer Colin Anderson cracks eggs as he helps prepare Sunday’s big breakfast.A customer purchases one of Barletta Beeswax’s handmade candles at Sunday’s Farmers’ Market.Clearwater local Greg deJong of Make-Do Farmstead chats with a customer at his produce-laden stand at Sunday’s Farmers’ Market.As the festival winds down, some pack their vehicles, while others wander the streets of Clearwater one last time before they return another year.
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Mark Schram is a ranchhand and freelance journalist from the “Gold Rush Border Town” of Cartwright, Manitoba.
