The Homestead in Mesachie Lake was full of campers, vendors, and of course a stage and V.I.P tent as organizers made the finishing touches to the venue in the early afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 15.
NedFest, now in its third year, once again rocked the residents of Mesachie Lake, as well as visitors from around the Cowichan Lake area and beyond.
A total of eight bands played late into the evening, including Daniel Wesley from Vancouver, 99 Buck, Vinnie’s Last Ride, Weak Patrol, and local bands such as the Joint Chiefs.
Hot Mama’s Burlesque performed for the crowd for third year in a row.
The youngest performers, hailing from Victoria, were The Colts.
These youth, all under the age of 14, had quite the line-up prepared for listeners, as they were the first act to hit the stage.
With songs like “Perfect Situation” by Weezer to kick things off, and “Don’t Stop Believing,” by Journey, they had crowds dancing in the mid afternoon sunshine.
The band, including Ruben Dominelli, Autumn Kennedy, Cairo Kennedy, and Harbour Nolan, have been together for about two years.
Caleb Kennedy, from both Weak Patrol and 99 Buck, is their coach and mentor. The kids were excited to play their first event outside of Victoria.
Organizer Doug Eddy, says approximately 200 tickets were sold prior to the event, but he was hoping that between 350 and 400 would have sold when all was said and done.
And with people pouring in throughout the afternoon and evening, it looked like this goal could very well have been the reality.
It will be a couple of weeks before organizers will know exactly how much money was raised, but with a silent auction and even cookie, brownie, and earring sales by Eddy’s daughter, Amber and her friends, the sum should be nothing to sneeze at.
Items for the silent auction were donated by local residents, businesses, and organizations such as Handmade Hugs, Country Grocer, and Mesachie Fire Chief Gary Eve.
For more colour photos of the event, search NedFest Homestead on Facebook.