CALEB NICKERSON
FORT COULONGE May 31- June 3, 2018
From May 31 to June 3, country music lovers congregated at the Draveurs Leisure Centre in Fort Coulonge for the third annual Country Music Festival, featuring nearly 30 artists and bands performing in both English and French.
Organized by local musician Phil Denault and his wife Carole Faubert, the event brought in several hundred music junkies from all over Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, many of them in R.V.s and campers.
“We want people to come into the area, to come and see the chutes, our towns, come and see how beautiful it is up in the Pontiac,” Denault said. “That’s why we made this, to bring people to our area. We’re huge country music lovers, both of us.”

The rink was transformed into an auditorium with attendees planting their lawn chairs on what was the ice surface, with the stage sitting on top of the stands.
Denault pointed out that he had hung sheets on the netting above the boards to improve the acoustics of the building, and said that next year he was planning to have a similar setup dropping down from the ceiling.
“We have a little problem with sound in arena but we’re improving every year,” he said.
He estimated that over 200 campers had arrived as of Friday night, and he expected the total to rise. A team of around 45 volunteers kept the drinks flowing and the music blaring throughout the weekend, and Denault had nothing but praise for them and the sponsors that made the event possible.
In addition to the music, Denault explained that this year they added children’s play structures on the Saturday and also offered shuttles to local hot spots.
“Through the weekend, we have visits to the Coulonge Chutes, it stops at the Bryson House. It’s a community bus that runs on the half hour,” he said. “Some people have motor homes, so they park and might not have the chance to go up, so we organize a little tour of the Fort Coulonge tourist attractions.”
What Denault was most proud of though, was the level of talent performed throughout the weekend. He himself performed on Thursday, accompanied by friends, and again on Saturday night with local fiddling legend Louis Schryer.
“There’s nothing that’s amateur on that stage, everything is classified professional in the industry,” he said. “It’s a mix of French and English, American Country, and it’s top quality. Everyone says that we bring Nashville to Fort Coulonge every year and I think it’s true.”