Revelree Music Festival
For Scott Palko, owner of Revelree Entertainment Inc., creating an annual music festival in Sarnia was a matter of getting it right and not just doing it quickly. That's why it took nearly seven years of planning, and of course additional planning time because of the COVID-19 pandemic, before the Revelree Music Festival was born in 2022. By all accounts it was the success Scott dreamed of and the second annual Revelree Music Festival at Canatara Park is set to go July 21-22. "Our first festival was wonderful; top to bottom we could not have asked for much more," Scott says. "We had just over 4,000 people over the course of the weekend, the bands were fantastic and the weather cooperated. Honestly, the crowds were unbelievable and the feedback we received on Canatara itself as a venue was people were ecstatic to experience something like that." 
Scott, who got his start in the business by doing fundraisers for testicular cancer awareness, was very thorough in planning for his first music festival. He intently studied other successful music festivals to better understand the dos and don'ts of such a huge undertaking. "We looked at the major players such as the Ottawa Blues Festival and Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California to see the offerings they were able to provide attendees," Scott says. "The challenge for us was, instead of just doing one festival, how do we do something that becomes an annual event you don't want to miss? You want great music, of course, but what about what is going on between acts and what is going on inside the venue? In our case, we are right on the shores of Lake Huron with access to the beach."
The first Revelree Music Festival in 2022 featured the likes of Canadian icons Blue Rodeo, Big Wreck, Donovan Woods and Death From Above. The 2023 festival will have Little White Lies, The Gypsy Flats, Living Room For Small, Aysanabee, LIGHTS and Arkells on July 21 and Brothers Wilde, Courtney Wolfe, Born Riot, JJ Wilde, Tom Cochrane and The Glorious Sons on July 22. Scott feels the strength of this year's lineup is in its diversity. "Our approach when putting together the lineup is honestly doing a lot of research on great live acts," Scott says. "We are less concerned about genre-specific nights. We'll play a rock band and a country band on the same night because maybe there are people who like one band but haven't had the opportunity to listen to the other. But when it's a really great live show and you have the opportunity to listen to bands you otherwise wouldn't have listened to, you learn from that. It opens your eyes to new acts."
Organizers of the Revelree Music Festival have spent a lot of time analyzing the first event in an effort to make sure the second is even better. "Last year being our first festival, there was focus on operations and experience," Scott says. "This year things will definitely be tightened up and we're looking forward to seeing 8-10 thousand people in the park enjoying great music together. "
Related Stories
Caryl Baker Visage
Caryl Baker Visage has serviced thousands of faces since it opened in Sarnia's Bayside Mall almost forty years ago. The store’s current owner, Jennifer Crawford, has carried on the tradition in her current Lambton Mall location. C...
Student Kirsten Vandenheuvel was all set to work her summer job in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Suddenly the job disappeared and Kirsten needed to come up with a Plan B. "I was scrolling through Facebook and came across an ad for something called Summer Company," Kirsten recalls. "That
The Grove Soap Co
For Liana Smith, owner of The Grove Soap Co., starting her own business began with the alignment of three key moments in 2018. Following the birth of her second son, her time and space for creativity had become noticeably absent, she was becoming increasingly focused on building an eco-friendly all-
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sarnia-Lambton
Big Brothers of Sarnia-Lambton was established in June of 1967 and almost 51 years later is still serving the needs of children in Lambton County. "I’ve been with the agency for over forty years now," explains Executive Director M...
Related Stories
Paradox Images
Born and raised in Sarnia, Matt Dochstader went to Mohawk College, in Hamilton, to study broadcasting. After graduating, he landed a job with a visual effects company in Toronto. "I did a lot of commercial work for national brands like Dove, Home Hardware, KIA, and Telus. Visual effects is the last"
Silhouettes Boutique
2001 was a big year for Lori Mitchell. It was the year she became a breast cancer survivor. It was also the year she purchased an established mastectomy and medical compression garment facility. "I went through breast cancer, so I thought this was something I could do, wanted to do, and needed to."
The Overflow Café
Michele Smeets opened The Overflow Café in February 2017. Formerly The British Shoppe, the name The Overflow Café came to her in a dream. I saw the café filled with people and more lined up out the door. The café was literally overflowing, she explains. Smeets ran the name past her former
Buttons and Bows
In 2005, Patti Prowse opened Buttons & Bows, an 800-square-foot women's clothing store, in Forest. I've had a passion for clothes my whole life. Many years ago, my parents were having a party to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. I spent $300 on a dress for that party, instead of b
