Nadia Moreau recognizes it, this 55th edition has passed at breakneck speed.
“Quietly, not so quickly, we see the end. “It happened so quickly because we knew we had been working on it for a year,” says the president of the festival organizing committee.
However, festival goers still have a busy weekend ahead of them. Traditionally even busier than the first weekend, we’ll see if that will be the case again this year. If so, perhaps we will break an attendance record at this 55th edition.
“Right now it feels more than measured. When we evaluate on Sunday we will have some numbers from our coffers. But we feel it and we see it. Even on quieter days this week there were a lot of people there. That’s the impression we have in our car dealerships,” she says.
Ms. Moreau also calls the weekly program a success, a new feature this year to meet the demand of a clientele who want to experience the atmosphere of Saint-Tite without spending a whole week there.
“People answered the call, the tents were full every evening. “The team was able to adapt well to the change in customers last year,” she believes.
According to her, the bingo hosted by drag queen Rita Baga on Monday evening also caused a stir.
“On Monday evening I was still wondering how it would react. I was pleased to see that the line to get in was very long. We had record traffic,” says Ms. Moreau happily.
Speaking of records, the Half/Half jackpot has already broken a record, reaching more than $215,000 as of Friday afternoon.
“We should reach $250,000 by the draw on Sunday. It must be said that this is also something new, the online prize pool. I’m very happy, especially because this is the first file we’ve worked on. “It is a great project that can be greatly expanded,” says the president of the festival organizing committee.
The president of the organizing committee is also happy about the festival’s good weather so far.
“We only had rain on Wednesday and if there was a day when it didn’t bother us too much, it was that one. For me, it’s Gilles (Gignac) who breathes something into us from up there,” she adds, alluding to the late CEO and long-time festival volunteer.
Mixed dealers
On the dealer side, the assessment is more mixed. Many on Saint-Joseph Boulevard believe that the first weekend was excellent in terms of traffic, but also in terms of business conducted.
“It’s a very good year. I was surprised to see so many people the first weekend,” says someone at a cowboy hat stand.
The same story a little further away, under a tent selling clothes. But traders have a different opinion. “These are not the best years for Saint-Tite,” estimates the saleswoman at another clothing kiosk.
While business is always good for some, others pay the price of inflation.
“People are buying less. “You have less money,” remarks a saleswoman.
It is even suspected that the new accommodation law would have had negative effects this year.
However, to know the final word on the story, we will have to wait until Sunday or even a few weeks until the data is properly compiled.
In the meantime, there is no shortage of activities for this final weekend of the 55th edition. However, some are fully booked. However, there are still a few tickets available for the PBR Night Rodeo. Remember that this type of event, although not unprecedented, remains rather rare given the complexity of its organization.
“We do them on anniversary dates. We did one five years ago. However, it must be said that it is a big challenge for the rodeo team who have to prepare the ground at night, knowing that there is another rodeo the next day,” explains Ms. Moreau.
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The grief comes
Next week, the usual calm will return to Saint-Tite as soon as the last motorhomes have left and the kiosks have been dismantled. A peace and quiet that will certainly be welcome by many residents – after all, we like receiving visitors, but we are also usually happy when they leave… especially when they come in hundreds of thousands. But this also means that the artisans of this 55th edition must mourn the event on which they worked tirelessly for almost a year.
“As a citizen, I am very happy that we will be able to get around the city more easily after the festival is over. But as a member of the organization who lived on adrenaline and didn’t sleep much for ten days, you have to mourn,” admits Nadia Moreau.
“I might not want it to last a whole month, but it might last a little longer,” she adds.
A sadness that will only be short-lived… Soon the festival team – after hopefully taking some time to breathe – will be looking forward to the 56th edition.
Highlights of the 2nd weekend
SATURDAY
- Rodeo at 1 p.m. (full capacity)
- Rodeo at 8 p.m. (fully occupied)
- PBR Night Rodeo at 11 p.m.
- “The Day After” show at 8 p.m. (full)
Sunday
- Coors Original Finale at 1:30 p.m.
The Common Front comes to Saint-Tite
Union members of the regional health and social network also took advantage of the rush at the Westernfest to be seen and heard by the population on Friday. In front of the CHSLD Mgr-Paquin on Rue du Convent, members of the Alliance of Professional and Technical Personnel in Health and Social Services (APTS) and the CSN particularly wanted to make known their demands and the problems that the employees of the public network are facing at this point in time. Remember that the two unions are negotiating with the Quebec government to renew their collective agreement.
“Where it mainly stumbles is salary. We are a long way from the government’s announced inflation, which is 16% (over five years), while they are offering us a 9% increase over the same period. For our members, this means a further slowdown and catch-up in salaries,” explains Pascale Leclerc-Gingras, national representative of the APTS Mauricie-Centre-du-Québec.
